Petra Airlines (Amman Queen Alia) owner, RUM Group, has sold a 49% stake in the carrier to Air Arabia (G9, Sharjah) with it to be rebranded as Air Arabia Jordan (Amman Queen Alia). The rebranded carrier, which is expected to commence operations later on this quarter, will be managed by Air Arabia and will follow the budget operation's business model with Amman Queen Alia serving as its fifth hub in the Arab world.
"The establishment of a new hub in Jordan extends Air Arabia's operational footprint into the heart of the Levant and brings us a step closer to achieving our stated goal of connecting the entire Arab world. This step will also provide the Jordanian economy with a reagent for growth through direct contributions to the local economy," Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia.
Two A320-200 aircraft will initially be based at Amman Queen Alia International Airport providing direct service to a range of destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
This is Air Arabia's second attempt at establishing a Jordanian operation after a joint-venture with the Jordanian Tantash Group, an Amman-based investment company with interests in travel and tourism, real estate, financial services and industrial investment, collapsed in 2011 following the impact of the Arab Spring.
