Royal Jordanian has suffered a 20 percent drop in flight reservations to Jordan, and profits are expected to drop by the end of the year, in the wake of the terror attacks on the United States, the company president said in statements published Friday, September 21.
"Flight reservations to Jordan have dropped by over 20 percent in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks and the reluctance of travelers to fly to the Middle East," Samir Majali told the Jordan Times.
The national carrier registered a similar drop in cancellations following the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in September 2000. In the 10 months preceding the September 11 airborne attacks on New York and Washington, Royal Jordanian saw 70,000 reservations and 40 charter flights cancelled, Majali had said on September 9.
He said these cancellations "deprived the company of receipts estimated at $12 million ". Majali said the airline's net profits in 2000 failed to exceed one million dollars, with just 1.2 million passengers, against $28 million in profits and 1.5 million passengers in 1999.
The fleet, which flies to 47 different destinations, comprises 14 Airbus planes, half of which are leased. The airline suspended flights to the United States for five days following the September 11 attacks amid a closure of US airspace to international flights. ― (AFP, Amman)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
