AMMAN — Visitors
to Petra will soon be able to experience the rose-red city and the surrounding
region from the air, Petra Tourism Development Regional Authority (PTDRA) Chief
Commissioner Suleiman Al-Farajat told Jordan News on Monday.
اضافة اعلان
The Golden Eagle
Aviation Academy will begin offering “flying taxi” helicopter flights over the
Petra region on a trial basis, after the academy inked an agreement with the
PTDRA on Sunday.
Farajat promised
visitors a unique experience that will allow visitors to explore Petra from a
new perspective “aboard Golden Eagle’s helicopters” starting Wednesday.
As the law forbids
flights directly over the archeological reserve, the helicopters will have to
adhere to strict flight paths that follow the site’s borders. However the
commissioner stressed that tourists will still have a unique view of the site.
The PTDRA will monitor the initial flights to ensure they do not affect the
archeological site.
For his part,
Golden Eagle CEO Mohammad Al-Omar said in remarks to Jordan News that
helicopters are an entertaining and flexible way of sightseeing. Compared to
standard aviation methods, helicopters require significantly less space to take
off and land.
The academy has
always sought ways to promote tourism, both to foreigners and locals, and provide
leisure services, Omari said.
Golden Eagle
already operates flights from Amman to various locations across the Kingdom,
including Petra and Aqaba, according to its website, and customers can request
other flights to other destinations. It also offers sightseeing and
recreational flights.
The academy will
offer around 20 sightseeing flights over areas of the rose-red city that are
difficult to reach on foot or horseback, like the Tomb of Aaron, according to
the CEO. These flights will typically take 15–20 minutes and cost JD70.
Golden Eagle
started offering sightseeing services in 2018, but had to temporarily suspend
those activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Omari stressed the safety
of Golden Eagle’s helicopters, noting that the majority of the academy’s pilots
and staff are former military personnel with long years of experience. The
academy’s helicopters are registered with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, and
“experts review the route and takeoff and landing sites” before every flight.
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