Plane stalled in Kingdom pending approval to evacuate Jordanians in China

AMMAN — Jordan has been waiting for nearly 5 days for approval from the Chinese authorities to bring Jordanian students from Wuhan, according to a statement by the Ministry of Transport.

Minister of Transport Khalid Saif said that all arrangements have been made for the departure of the plane, adding that two doctors will be on board the flight to accompany the students on their return.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Daifallah Fayez said on several occasions this week that the plane is ready to depart, but that it has not yet taken off.

“The flight permits from countries that see air traffic over their lands such as Thailand and China are awaiting approval,” he added.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry previously said that there were 67 Jordanians in the city.

Director General of Bashir Hospital Mahmoud Zureikat stated that no cases of Coronavirus have yet been discovered in the Kingdom, but three Jordanian students who arrived from China and nine people of Chinese nationality were recently admitted to the hospital for preventive purposes.

A total of 16 people have been admitted to the epidemic department so far.

Director of King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba Nasser Majali said that the airport administration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, has put in place preventive and remedial measures to examine arrivals by installing fixed and manual thermal scanners.

Majali stressed that the King Hussein International Airport “represents an important centre for the movement of visitors and travellers to Aqaba, so it is a good idea for it to be given as much attention as Queen Alia International Airport”.