Jordan ‘temporarily’ closes its aerospace due to rising regional risks

AMMAN — The Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) on Saturday announced the temporary closure of Jordanian aerospace for inbound and outbound flights.

The commission said in a statement that the decision has been taken to ensure the safety and security of Jordanian aerospace in light of the rising risks and after assessment of the situation according to international standards.

As per the decision, CARC said that Jordanian airspace will be closed to all incoming, departing, and transiting flights temporarily starting from 20:00 UTC, 11:00pm local time, for several hours.

The commission added that this measure will be continuously updated and reviewed according to developments.

CARC said that this measure is taken "to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation in the Jordanian airspace, in light of escalating risks in the region and after evaluating the risks according to globally recognised standards."

Meanwhile, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) on Saturday announced that Jordan has reached out to two neighbouring countries to halt the interference impacting the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Director of the Radio Spectrum Management Directorate at the TRC Nidal Samara said that the sources of the interference have been traced back to these two neighbouring countries, adding that the regulatory bodies overseeing telecommunications in these countries have been notified and a response is awaited.

The official also noted that the relevant authorities have been urged to adhere to international regulations pertaining to these services and to abstain from causing interference.

Samara also said that the GPS service is received via satellite through terminals and stations, and interference is caused by ground stations situated at specific locations operating on the same frequency, but with a higher transmission power than that received from the satellite.

Samara also stressed that the primary targets of this interference are drones and rudimentary missiles that rely on the GPS system.

The director also said that navigation and aviation systems, as well as telecommunication companies, have alternative systems to GPS at their disposal, adding that these companies have not reported any interference with the current GPS system.