‘No major disruptions to RJ flights’

AMMAN — Royal Jordanian (RJ) said Saturday no major disruptions were witnessed in its flights over the weekend amidst the snowstorm.

The airline said no flights were cancelled at all and the situation was “almost normal” during the snowstorm, which started to affect the Kingdom Thursday.

“There were only some minor delays in flights for a maximum of one to two hours. We only diverted three flights to Aqaba on Friday, other than that, the situation was normal,” RJ Executive Assistant/Media and Communications Basel Kilani told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

Royal Jordanian transported some 12,000 passengers to and from the Kingdom between Thursday evening and Saturday noon, he said.

“Jordan was connected to the rest of the world throughout the snowstorm as we implemented a contingency plan,” Kilani added.

As part of the contingency plan, RJ made reservations for its staff in the hotel near Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) and nearby hotels in Madaba, and provided transportation for them to ensure the continuity of operations, he noted.

The Ministry of Transport issued a statement over the weekend in which it said transportation between Amman and QAIA was ongoing and that buses carrying passengers to the airport were operating as per schedule.

In a statement posted on its website, the Airport International Group (AIG), which runs QAIA, said it had adopted an emergency plan since Thursday night to deal with the snowstorm.

The AIG said it took measures to prevent frost formation and remove snow from runways around-the-clock to prevent any flight disruptions.

The group also took measures to ensure the continuity of work at QAIA and the availability of its staff.

AIG urged passengers to exercise caution when travelling to the airport, advising them to check for schedule updates by contacting their airlines or by calling QAIA at 06-4010250.