A Lockheed L-1011 Tristar plane is submerged in the Red Sea in Aqaba, Jordan, on Aug. 26, 2019. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) in Jordan on Monday sunk a disused commercial aircraft to Aqaba's Underwater Military Museum Dive Site to help boost marine life. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)
AMMAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) in Jordan on Monday sunk a disused commercial aircraft to Aqaba's Underwater Military Museum Dive Site to help boost marine life.
Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein attended the ceremony, according to the Jordan News Agency Petra.
The underwater museum has been opened for divers and snorkellers to explore military machines stationed along coral reefs imitating a tactical formation.
The formation consists of tanks, an ambulance, a military crane, a troop carrier, an anti-aircraft gun and two helicopters among others, according to the report.
Submerging the plane is intended to promote the recovery of natural reefs as it relieves pressure on them by drawing visitors away to an alternative site, according to ASEZA officials.
The underwater museum promotes scuba diving in Aqaba and seeks to increase tourists' duration of stay.
The number of scuba divers increased from 6,000 in 2017 to 22,000 in 2018, according to ASEZA.
