A Palestinian airline that stopped operating in 2001 after the start of the Second Intifada has announced that it plans to resume flights between Jordan and Egypt, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported Tuesday, quoting a company official. Palestinian Airlines will reactivate its flights between Amman, Jordan and El-Arish, Egypt on a twice-weekly basis, which may increase with demand, Captain Ziad al-Beda, director-general of the company, was quoted by Ma'an as saying. The flights will take off on Wednesdays, and aim to make travel easier for Palestinians in Gaza by offering flights to Amman from El-Arish, near the Rafah border crossing. Palestinians trying to get to Amman have otherwise had to cross the Rafah border and then travel to Cairo. The small air carrier has a fleet of three aircraft and operates out of its hub in El-Arish. It also offers charter flights to Saudi Arabia during the annual Muslim pilgrimage season, Ma'an reported. Last year, Al-Beda said that the airline, which was first launched in 1994 and is under the sole ownership of the Palestinian Authority, had incurred heavy debt. The airline's fleet was first based at Yasser Arafat International Airport in Gaza, but an Israeli ban grounded the planes, and the airport was severely damaged by airstrikes in 2001 following the start of the Second Intifada. Al-Beda thanked Jordan and Egypt for their assistance in resuming the flight route, Ma'an reported.
Defunct Palestinian airline to renew flights to Jordan, Egypt
Palestinian Airlines, which stopped flight operations in 2001 during Second Intifada, announces it will reactivate twice-weekly flights to Amman and El-Arish • Company hopes to ease burden of travel for Palestinians in Gaza who want to get to Jordan.
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