More than three million passengers flew with Royal Jordanian in 2012. The airline improved its seat factor against 2011 from 70.2 per cent to 73 per cent despite the effects of the instability in the Arab region that negatively impacted all industries and specifically the aviation sector in the Middle East region, including Royal Jordanian.
The airline opened a new route to Misrata, its third in Libya, besides Tripoli and Benghazi in 2012.
Looking ahead, Amer M. Hadidi, chief executive officer for Royal Jordanian (RJ) said, “We are still conducting feasibility studies before we open further routes in 2013.
“RJ also took many measures to strengthen and enhance its partnerships with other international airlines. We concluded a codeshare agreement with Sri Lankan airlines and will expand our already existing codeshare agreement with Malaysia Airlines, in addition to other 10 existing codeshare agreements with international airlines, some of which members of the oneworld alliance” he added.
In 2012 the airline selected Thales, a leader in In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) to install the advanced TopSeries AVANT system and TopConnect cabin communications network on RJ’s new Boeing 787 aircraft that are on order. Entry into service is scheduled for end of 2014.
RJ goes beyond servicing its passengers on board and expands its partnerships to reach more points around the world through other means of transportation. In this context, in October 2012, Royal Jordanian signed an agreement with VIA Rail Canada, Canada’s rail passenger service, whereby RJ may sell train tickets to its passengers wishing to continue their travel beyond the RJ destination in Canada – Montreal – to Toronto and Ottawa.
As for the fleet update, in November 2012, Royal Jordanian announced that it completed its plan of renewing medium-range aircraft when a new Airbus A320 joined the fleet. The last aircraft is named after the northern Jordanian city of Irbid. The airline’s medium-range fleet now counts 15 aircraft of the A320 family: four A321s, seven A320s and four A319s.
“By replacing the five- and six-year-old aircraft with newly manufactured ones, we want to upgrade the level of cabin service offered passengers and to have modern aircraft,” said Hadidi.
On December 15, 2013, the airline celebrated its 50th anniversary aspiring to continue its vision to be the airline of choice connecting Jordan and the Levant with the world.