Ali Ghandour (who becomes the first chairman) forms this new national airline at the request of King Hussein in October 1963 to succeed the earlier Jordan Airways, Ltd. (founded 1961), which had ceased trading on September 1. Named for the King’s daughter, Princess Alia, the carrier receives a royal decree allowing official authorization. Revenue flights begin on December 15 with 2 Douglas DC-7s and 2 Handley Page HPR-7 Heralds over routes from Ammen to Beirut, Cairo, Jeddah, Jerusalem and Kuwait. A French Caravelle jetliner is ordered at year’s end.
The Sud-Est SE-210 Caravelle XR is delivered on July 28, 1964 entering service in early August. In February 1965, a second Caravelle XR is received; routes are now extended to London, Paris, and Rome.
An HPR-7 Herald with 4 crew and 50 passengers crashes near Damascus, Syria, on April 10; there are no survivors.
A total of 117,950 passengers are flown on scheduled and chartered services as the workforce grows to 347.
Another SE-210 plus a Boeing 720B and a Fokker F.27 Friendship are acquired in 1966.
Israeli air attacks on June 5, 1967 destroy two DC-7s, one each at Damascus and Beirut. Still, enplanements for the year total 111,424. A net profit is earned.
Airline employment reaches 550 in 1968-1969. In March of the former year, the carrier becomes a 100%-owned corporation of the Jordanian government. Recovery from the effects of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war is slow.
Additional routes are started in 1970-1971 to destinations in Europe and Africa. During the late summer and fall of the latter year, the airline is subjected to a bombing and three hijacking attempts, of which one is successful. While parked on the tarmac at Madrid on August 24, a B-707-3D3C is extensively damaged when a bomb explodes in the rear lavatory. There are no casualties. On September 8, a Caravelle XR en route from Beirut to Amman, is captured by a lone gunman, who orders it to Benghazi, Libya—where he is arrested. Eight days later, security guards intervene and halt the takeover of a second Caravelle XR, once more flying between Beirut and Amman. This man will be tried and executed. Police halt the takeover of yet another Caravelle XR on October 4 on the ground at Amman. The captured would-be pirate is also tried and executed.
On February 19, 1972, another lone gunman attempts to take over a Caravelle XR en route from Cairo to Amman and he, too, is taken in hand, tried, and shot.
Passenger boardings this year total 85,050 and the fleet comprises 2 Boeing 707-3D3Cs, 1 B0720B, 3 Caravelle XRs, and 1 Fokker F.27.
The subsidiary Jordan World Airways is formed in 1973 to operate tourist charters from Europe to Jordan. Three Boeing 727-2D3s are ordered. On January 22, a B-707-3D3C on charter to Nigerian Airways, Ltd. is diverted from Lagos because of bad weather. The aircraft with 9 crew and 193 passengers (mostly Nigerian Muslims returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca) suffers the collapse of its right main landing gear while landing at Kano, runs off the side of the runway, and catches fire (176 dead). The disaster is reported as the worst in civil aviation history to date.
Late in the year, a Caravelle XR is sold to Air Afrique, S. A.
Enplanements climb 30% to 121,500 and revenues accelerate 50%, allowing the first net profit since 1967.
The three 727-2D3s are placed in service in 1974. En route from Amman to Aqaba on November 6, a Caravelle XR is seized by three hijackers, who divert the aircraft to Benghazi, Libya. The trio is given political asylum.
Despite this incident, bookings for the year skyrocket 50% to 243,000. A $702,365 net profit is made on overall income of $31.51 million.
Airline employment is 1,846 in 1975 and 2 B-747-2D3Bs are ordered. Service is inaugurated to Baghdad, Bangkok, Amsterdam, and Geneva.
On August 3 a B-707-321C, owned by Alia but chartered by Royal Air Maroc, S. A. to transport Moroccan workers from France for summer vacation, approaches Agadir for landing. The aircraft carrying 7 crew and 181 passengers crashes into a mountainside 30 mi. NE of the city of Imzizen; there are no survivors.
Boardings for the year jump another 50% to 379,911.
The employee population rises a full 20% to 2,116 in 1976. Two B-707-384Cs purchased from Olympic Airways, S. A. are delivered in April. The charter subsidiary Arab Wings, Ltd. is created in May and equipped with the two Boeings purchased from the Greek flag carrier. Routes are opened to Damascus, Aleppo, Larnaca, Athens, Vienna, and Copenhagen. Although delivery of the two B-747-2D3Bs is delayed, freight traffic skyrockets 87% to 24.6 million FTKs and passenger traffic accelerates 25% to 475,470.
Both B-747-2D3Bs are received in 1977; the first arrives at Amman on April 13 and is christened Prince Ali and is followed by the second, delivered on May 11 and named Princess Haya. Flights are now launched to London, New York, Benghazi, Tunis, and Casablanca. King Hussein of Jordan, a certified pilot, personally inaugurates weekly flights from Amman to New York on July 10.
The B-707-384Cs, 727-2D3s, and B-720B are transferred to lower-density passenger routes. Chairman/President Ali M. Ghandour oversees a workforce of 2,150 and a fleet that now includes 2 B-747-2D3B/Cs, 2 B-707-384Cs, 1 B-707-3D3C, 1 B-707-321C, 1 B-720B, and 3 B-727-2D3s. Enplanements total 713,135.
The workforce in 1978 totals 3,098. Ras Al Khaimah is added to the route network and the New York service is undertaken, beginning in April, in cooperation with Syrianair.
Cargo accelerates 27.3% and passenger boardings are up 35.2% to 739,335. On revenues of $127 million, a sixth consecutive net profit is earned, this time $2.3 million.
While executing a missed approach at Doha on March 14, 1979, Flight 600, the B-727-2D3 The City of Petra with 15 crew and 49 passengers, is caught by windshear and forced into the ground (44 dead).
Service is inaugurated to San’a’, Istanbul, and Houston; U. S. frequencies are increased to four per week. Sleeper seats are installed in the B-747-2D3s and offices are opened in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. Business class is introduced and a computerized reservations system is installed.
The carrier’s participation in the Paris Air Show is the first by any Mideast airline or Arab organization. On the technical side, a departure control system and maintenance reliability control program is launched. At the end of the year, orders are placed for 5 Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 500s.
Passenger boardings jump 23.7% to 914,483 and freight surges by 30.9%. On revenues of $176.2 million, expenses are $162 million, leaving a $7.46-million net profit.
The workforce is increased 12.9% in 1980 to 3,891. Passenger boardings top one million for the first time, accelerating 21.7% to 1,112,556; cargo grows 20.1% to 80.19 million FTKs.
The employee population rises 3.9% in 1981 to 4,014 and a third Jumbojet, the Dash-2D3B Prince Hamzah, is delivered on March 26. Frequencies are extended to Chicago, Belgrade, and Bucharest and are increased on several other routes.
Freight soars 40% to 111.85 million FTKs and passenger traffic is up 30% to 1,443,281. A net profit of $5.9 million is reported on total revenues of $303.7 million.
Airline employment is 4,627 in 1982, an 8.2% boost. In March, the subsidiary Arab Air Cargo, Ltd. is formed. An additional B-747-2D3B is delivered along with 1 B-727-2D3A and 2 Lockheed L-1011-500s. The latter arrive in a test livery that is not adopted.
Routes are started to Istanbul and Belgrade. When Sierra Leone Airways, Ltd. is reformed into Sierre Leone Airlines, Ltd., Alia holds a 20% stake and receives a three-year management contract.
The Jordanian carrier’s B-707-3D3C is painted in Sierra Leone colors and wet-leased to the African airline as its flagship. Serving as Sierra Leone managing director, Capt. Khaja Yousufuddin and three colleagues are seconded to the African nation.
Passenger boardings rise 15.3% to 1,692,211 and freight jumps 15.8% to 129.49 million FTKs. On revenues of $322.4 million, expenses are $293 million, leaving a profit of $4.2 million.
The employee population is increased by 35 in 1983. Three additional L-1011-500s join the fleet and the 2 B-707s are employed to launch Arab Air Cargo, Ltd. operations on May 1.
During the summer, Alia flight crews are seconded to Sierre Leone Airlines, Ltd. on a two-week basis to operate that carrier’s B-707-3D3C on its twice-weekly services from Freetown to London and Paris.
In preparation for the introduction of service to the U. S. West Coast, a sales office is opened at San Francisco in late December.
Cargo traffic falls 8% to 119.26 million FTKs and passenger boardings decline 12.6% to 1,457,334. A net loss of $2 million is suffered.
The workforce is increased to 4,760 in 1984. A sixth Lockheed TriStar 500 is received in March and the last B-707-3D3C is phased out in May and given to Sierre Leone by King Hussein, along with his carrier’s last B-720B.
Meanwhile, on March 3, the carrier becomes the first Arab airline to serve the U. S. West Coast when it launches twice-weekly L-1011-500 flights to Los Angeles via Chicago. Singapore and Riyah are also added to the route network.
While rotating Alia crews continue to operate the long-haul European services of Sierre Leone Airlines, Ltd., pilots from that company are sent to Jordan for Boeing training. Wide-body New York to Amman services via Vienna and Amsterdam are increased to five times per week in October.
Freight accelerates 17.3% to 139.89 million FTKs, but enplanements dip again, down 6.7% to 1,376,012. Losses are $11 million (operating) and $29.8 million (net) on revenues of $294 million.
Airline employment is decreased by 3.8% to 4,581 in 1985. The B-747-2D3B Princess Haya is sold for lease to British Caledonian Airways, Ltd. (BCAL) in March.
A member of the Black September Palestinian terrorist organization fires rockets at a B-727-2D3A on April 4 as it prepares to takeoff from Athens for Amman; the target is missed, no injuries are reported, and the perpetrator flees in a waiting car.
Service begins to Moscow in May.
On June 11, a B-727-2D3A with 74 aboard is hijacked by 5 Shiite Muslim gunmen at Beirut Airport just before its departure on a scheduled service to Amman. The plane, which takes off under pirate control, returns to Beirut after being turned away from Larnaca, Palermo, and Tunis and 5 hostages are released. The Boeing takes off again, but returns less than two hours later after the pirates fail to persuade Syrian authorities to let them land in Damascus. On the ground in Lebanon, the gunmen demand to meet with Arab League Secretary General Chedli Kilbi. On June 12, the hijackers release the remaining captives, blow up the plane, and escape. The group’s leader will later be captured and, after his conviction on charges of air piracy, will receive a 30-year prison sentence.
Also in June, a marketing agreement is signed with Malaysian Airlines System, Ltd. (MAS) that provides for joint service on a route from Amman to Kuala Lumpur.
Two gunmen fire into the company’s downtown Madrid offices on July 1, but no serious injuries are reported. In cooperation with Malaysian Airline System, Ltd. (MAS), the company opens a weekly L-1011-500 route from Amman to Kuala Lumpur in August.
Freight rises 9% to 152.05 million FTKs, but passenger bookings fall again, down 2.8% to 1.29 million. Revenues increase 4.7% to $340.4 million, but expenses also grow, up 4% to $349.6 million. There is an operating loss of $9.2 million; however, a net profit of $5.63 million is posted.
In April 1986,6 Airbus Industrie A320s and 6 A310-200s are ordered. A TriStar 500 is leased to Sierra Leone Airlines, Ltd. in September, following the signing of a management contract with the African carrier. In a further effort to change direction and broaden appeal, at year’s end, the carrier changes its name to Royal Jordanian Airlines and begins to implement a change in corporate identity. Plans are made for privatization during the near year.
Customer bookings are down 12.3% to 1,131,967; however, cargo is up by 9.2% to 165.91 million FTKs.
ALIBLU, S. p.A.: Italy (1987-1989). Aliblu, S. p.A. is established at Naples’ Capodichino Airport in the spring of 1987 with ownership divided between ALI, Aeroleasing Italian (60%), FIMA (15%), Mario Valentino (15%), and the state carrier Alitalia, S. p.A. (10%). Eugene Buontempo is chairman, with Antonio Fileccia as managing director; Aero Transport Italiani, S. p.A. (ATI) provides technical support.
The new Italian third-level commuter inaugurates services in May linking its base with regional destinations in Italy and Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. Equipped with 4 British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31s, Chairman/CEO Fileccia’s Aliblu, S. p.A. is Italy’s first all-Jetstream operator.
Two more Jetstream 31s join the fleet in 1988 and, in October, three new routes are introduced: Bari to Florence, Florence to Turin, and Fog-gia to Rome. Enplanements for the first full year of service reach 54,000.
With the delivery of two more Jetstream 31s in January 1989, eight new international services are started for Alitalia, S. p.A., including Turin-Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, and Geneva and Bologna to Stuttgart. The small regional is taken over by Avianova, S. p.A. later in the year and merged.
ALIDAIR, LTD.: United Kingdom (1972-1983). Two Piper PA-30 Twin Commanches are acquired in 1971 to provide executive transport for the Alida Packaging concern. In January 1972, Alidair Cargo is established at Hacknall Airport, Aberdeen, with Roger Dadd as managing director. Dadd purchases three former Channel Airways, Ltd. Vickers Viscount 812s and an ex-British Midland Airways, Ltd. Viscount 831 in May; they are converted and based at Castle Donington. Passenger inclusive one-day charters begin on June 12 to U. K., Belgian, Dutch, French, and Channel Island destinations.
Scheduled Viscount service is inaugurated in April 1973 from Castle Donington/Birmingham to Copenhagen and Malmo. Inclusive-tour charters resume in the summer. One Viking is leased to British Air Ferries, Ltd. The Copenhagen and Malmo service must be discontinued in December as the number of passengers transported does not cover increasing fuel prices.
In March 1974, the Viscount 831 is sold to Arkia Israeli Airlines, Ltd. During the year, summer passenger charters are flown as well as flights carrying flower bulbs from Rotterdam to Goteborg on behalf of Volvo.
In February 1975, Viscount charter flights are undertaken in support of the North Sea oil industry. In the summer, various tour flights are undertaken to the European continent and the fleet is increased by the addition of 1 Viscount 814, 1 Viscount 806, 4 Viscount 708s, and 1 Viscount 724; the Viscount 814 is badly damaged in a crash landing at Guernsey on September 14.
The subsidiary Guernsey Airlines, Ltd. is established in November 1978.
Fuel starvation causes all four engines of a Vickers Viscount 708, with 4 crew and 58 passengers to lose power during a charter from Santander to Exeter on July 17, 1980. The plane makes a forced landing into a wooded area at Ottery St. Mary and there are no fatalities.
Flying from East Midlands Airport, the 145-employee company of Managing Directors Roger Dadd and Trefor Jones remains a major charter operator through 1982 when it is reformed as Inter-City Airlines, Ltd.
Despite the sale of Guernsey Airlines, Ltd. to Jadepoint, Ltd., in August 1983, financial losses suffered since 1979 as a result of the world economic situation force the carrier to cease flying in the fall.
ALIDAUNIA, S. p.A.: c/o Aeroporto Civil Gino Lisa, Viale Degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy; Phone 39 (0) 881 617961; Fax 39 (0) 881 619660; Code LID; Year Founded 1986. Alidaunia is established at Rome in 1986 to provide on-demand summer helicopter services between Foggia Airport and Tremiti Island. An Augusta A109 operates the seasonal service over the next six years.
Scheduled passenger and cargo services between Foggia and Milan begin in 1992 with 1 Cessna 310. A rotary-wing service is also offered to Tremiti with 3 Augusta helicopters. Enplanements for the year total 8,800.
Operations continue in 1993-1999. President Roberto Pucillo’s fleet now includes 3 Augusta A109s, 1 Sikorsky S-76A, and 1 Mitsubishi Mu-300. A Partenavia P.68 replaces the Mitsubishi during the latter year as a fourth A109 is acquired.
World History
