Jordan studying possibility of resuming flights in Syrian airspace

AMMAN — A technical delegation from the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) on Wednesday headed to Damascus to study technical issues related to resuming flights in Syrian airspace by Jordanian airline companies.

CARC Chief Commissioner Captain Haitham Misto said that the procedure is part of a mechanism that adopts international standards to assess risks and is followed by a comprehensive technical evaluation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Misto said that a proper technical decision will be made after concluding the evaluation. 

Royal Jordanian’s (RJ) flights to Syria have been suspended since 2012, and the route of its operations between Amman and Beirut was changed.

In 2012 and 2013, the national carrier incurred losses totalling JD19.4 million because of suspending service to Damascus and Aleppo.

RJ has also suffered from other major losses due to regional conflicts that led to the closure of other stations since 2014, including Libya’s Tripoli and Benghazi, as well as Iraq’s Mosul. 

Other destinations cancelled by the local airline, for security reasons, include Misrata, Sanaa and Aden.