Jordanian airline to use Larnaca as long-haul hub

JORDAN’S Air Universal has applied to the Cyprus government to use Larnaca Airport as a hub for operations to carry out long-haul flights, mainly to the Far East, according to unconfirmed reports.

The airline’s president Talal Abu Reyal was quoted as saying: “We want to connect the West and the East using Larnaca airport as a hub.”
Abu Reyal said he registered his airline in Cyprus last year and Cypriot authorities were about to wrap up certification of his fleet of two Boeing 747-230Bs that could pave the way for charter flights in the coming months.

This would be followed by a scheduled flight programme early next year, Reyal said. Destinations would include Sao Paolo, Brazil; Melbourne, Australia; Lahore, Pakistan and Jakarta.

For that, he said he would need to rely on his Cyprus-based jumbo fleet that would be increased to six jets by the end of 2005, at an overall cost of $130 million.

Abu Reyal said he selected Larnaca as his base because of its geographical location at the crossroads of three continents. This was combined with the fact that Cyprus had recently joined the EU, also a strong selling point in its favour.

The Air Universal president said the airline’s long-haul scheduled flight plans would not clash with domestic carriers, Cyprus Airways and Helios, which he said fly only short-to-medium routes to Europe and the Middle East.

Much would depend on the planned new airport at Larnaca and the upgrading at Paphos, said Abu Reyal. Top grade facilities would have to be in place. The government recently signed the deal with Hermes Consortium for the new airport project, with the contractor taking over the running of the airports.

Abu Reyal said he could not rule out an alliance with Cyprus Airways and private carrier Helios to share passengers and tap into the European market.

Neither Transport Minster Haris Thrasou, nor officials at the Civil Aviation Department could be reached for comment yesterday.
Air Universal was set up in 2002. Its fleet consists of two Boeing 747-230B Passenger Aircraft, two Lockheed Martin L1011 Aircraft, two recently-acquired Boeing 747-200s and two Boeing 747-200s expected to join the fleet in October-November this year.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.