ROYAL Jordanian has witnessed a robust 2010, as the airline saw a 15 per cent growth in passenger numbers over 2009. The airline carried 2.3 million passengers, resulting in an increase in the seat factor in the first nine months of 2010 to 71 per cent. The airline also added new routes to Madinah and Kuala Lumpur as well as launched its online check-in facility, enabling passengers to issue their boarding passes electronically through its website.
“This service is part of the company’s endeavours to automate and streamline travel procedures,” said CEO Hussein Dabbas.
The airline added two new Airbus A330 aircraft to serve the airline’s long- and medium-range routes to the Far East and London as well as increased the frequency of its operations to several destinations on its route network in response to the growing demand during last summer.
A newly manufactured Embraer 175 aircraft, the airline’s eighth, was added to its Embraer fleet in November 2010. At the same time, it completed a comprehensive cabin modernisation to two of its four Airbus A340s serving North American destinations. The airline will also introduce seven new Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft to replace six Airbus currently operating in the fleet, plus an additional A320. The first delivery is scheduled for April of next year, and the others will follow in 2012.
Royal Jordanian is the first airline in the world to equip its aircraft with seat integrated technology (SiT), the new, state-of-the-art audio video on demand (AVOD) inflight entertainment system developed by Zodiac Aerospace.
Other new initiatives that were launched include the launch of Royal Jordanian online check-in. The airline also started implementing the Amadeus Altea customer management and e-commerce suite of solutions that manages all reservations, inventory and ticketing in Jordan and all over the world. The move represents a real quantum leap in managing passenger services techniques, witnessed for the first time in the company’s history.
The company also launched a novel branding campaign – titled The Art of Flying – that perfectly describes the distinguished air and ground services offered its passengers. These services and the modern technology the airline uses help it compete efficiently with other airlines and boost its position in the market. These elements were crucial to enabling Royal Jordanian to join the oneworld airline alliance.
Looking ahead, Dabbas said the airline will continue its route expansion to destinations including Berlin and Lagos.
“We are also working to improve our ground and in-flight services, and to have more passengers to fly on board the Royal Jordanian aircraft. Boosting revenues is one of the airline targets for 2011,” he added.