US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5025

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
USDOC 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/PTHANOS 
DEPARTMENT FOR E FOR LARSON 
DEPARTMENT FOR EB FOR WAYNE 
ATHENS FOR TSA FOR MONTGOMERY 
FRANKFURT FOR TSA FOR KLUKOWSKI 
CPA FOR WILLIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, ETRD, ASEC, PREL, JO 
SUBJECT: SKIES CLEARING FOR RJ? 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 4249 
     B. AMMAN 3654 
     C. STATE 162415 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
1. (SBU) COMMENT: Royal Jordanian Airline officials have 
apparently taken on board strong messages regarding airline 
security, service to Iraq, and other issues delivered by the 
Ambassador June 16 (REF B).  A successful visit by a 
follow-up TSA inspection team and an informal discussion 
between RJ and CPA aviation officials indicate a strengthened 
commitment to security as well as flexibility regarding 
potential service between Amman and Baghdad.  These 
encouraging developments may bode well for RJ's hopes to 
increase its regional presence and may lead to a timely 
relief of the bottleneck caused by lack of available seats 
out of Baghdad (REF A).  END COMMENT 
 
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MESSAGE RECEIVED: TSA CALLS THE SHOTS 
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2. (SBU) TSA Senior Aviation Security Inspectors Albert 
Klukowski and John Nipper conducted an assessment of Queen 
Alia International Airport and Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) 
July 20-25.  The visit was a follow-up to a disappointing TSA 
inspection in early June during which TSA officials found RJ 
to be largely "out of compliance" with security procedures 
regarding transit passengers, air marshals, and the 
publication and dissemination of a general security manual to 
RJ staff.  At the conclusion of the June visit, the 
inspectors gave RJ officials mid-July deadlines to "get in 
line" with TSA standards. 
 
3. (SBU) Apart from some hiccups, the July visit went 
smoothly.  The airline instituted a policy notifying TSA 
officials daily of changes in sky marshal personnel; 
developed sophisticated software to screen transit passengers 
against the "no fly" list; and produced a manual of security 
procedures, all ahead of deadline.  In addition, RJ created 
separate departments for safety and security with dedicated 
management for each.  The July inspection revealed minor 
problems in cargo and aircraft pre-boarding inspection, but 
these were quickly rectified by RJ personnel, who themselves 
demonstrated a commitment to cooperation and security that 
had been missing on previous inspections.  While he 
recommended continued follow-up and monitoring of RJ and 
airport security operations, Klukowski said the team was 
extremely satisfied with the visit and that all parties 
appeared to be in compliance with TSA policy and procedures. 
 
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RJ: WE ARE READY TO HELP 
------------------------ 
 
4. (SBU) RJ CEO Samer Majali told Coalition Provisional 
Authority (CPA) Aviation Advisor Frank Willis during a 
courtesy call on July 31 that RJ was "ready to help" ease the 
bottleneck on air travel in and out of Baghdad (REF A). 
While Majali said he hoped that RJ could eventually serve 
some role in the reconstruction of an Iraqi national airline, 
he realized that such a decision would be made in the long 
term.  For now, he said, RJ would be pleased to offer 
services "wherever you want", whether as a charter or 
commercially with an established schedule.  He added that the 
Jordanian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) could offer 
immediate technical assistance to Iraqi civair officials to 
formulate aviation policy similar to Jordan's, one that is 
modeled on American Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) 
procedures.  Majali said he was hoping to hear soon that RJ 
had been approved by the CPA but understood that actual 
service, once slated to begin July 15, could not resume until 
the security situation at and around the airport had improved. 
 
5. (SBU) Willis thanked Majali for his interest and patience, 
and said that his visit was purely exploratory, to enable him 
to get a sense of things on the ground.  He said that at 
present, he was unable to make any commitments on behalf of 
the CPA.  That said, Willis agreed with Majali that the 
decision on a national carrier would be made by an Iraqi 
government and not by the CPA.  He said that security near 
Baghdad International Airport was still an issue and that 
there was not yet an agreed date when commercial service 
might resume. 
6. (SBU) Willis returned to the question of a future national 
airline for Iraq, acknowledging that RJ's role in an Iraqi 
airline could take a number of forms, and asked Majali which 
of those roles RJ might be open to.  Majali said the airline 
would consider anything, from wet leases (the Iraqi airline 
would use RJ aircraft, pilots and crew but operate under an 
Iraqi brand) to a joint venture with an Iraqi firm to an 
arrangement to block space on a new airline (RJ would sell 
seats on the Iraqi carrier under the RJ name).  Willis said 
that an RJ-Iraqi joint venture would be viewed positively by 
the CPA.  Majali said he was even prepared to shift half of 
RJ's fleet to Baghdad at an appropriate time, and would even 
paint the Iraqi carrier's colors on RJ planes.  He said RJ 
could even evolve into a regional carrier operating out of 
both Amman and Baghdad, as well as provide service to other 
destinations in Iraq, such as Basrah and Mosul.  He said that 
although he was aware that a groundhandling contract for 
Baghdad International had been awarded to a Singaporan 
company, his airline could offer immediate groundhandling 
assistance and training if needed.  Willis said the contract 
awarded to the Singaporan company had been "put on hold" for 
the time being. 
 
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DECISION ON BOEING/AIRBUS STILL ON HOLD 
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7. (SBU) Majali said that RJ has "frozen" a decision on 
renewing its fleet through purchase or lease of Boeing or 
Airbus short haul jets until a putative Iraqi carrier 
determines its needs.  He said that originally the plan of 
fleet renewal had been put on hold due to the war, but that 
the airline now wanted to move ahead.  He said that it did 
not make sense, however, to go forward now if it had to make 
other arrangements, such as the purchase or leasing of 
smaller aircraft, that would be more suitable for service to 
Iraq. 
 
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COMMENT 
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8. (SBU) Majali appears to have moved away from a direct (and 
politically damaging) linkage of a prospective purchase of 
Boeing aircraft to the Baghdad route (REF B).  Nonetheless, 
behind his, and RJ's, flexibility is a strong desire to 
become a regional carrier that serves Baghdad and beyond.  A 
renewed commitment to security, qualified flight and support 
personnel, and a Western-focused route system suggest a 
logical short-term role for RJ that may lead to something 
more substantial once an Iraqi government is established. 
HALE