AMMAN, Oct. 2, 2022 (Xinhua) — Royal Jordanian Airlines on Sunday announced its agreement to introduce 20 modern Airbus A320neo aircraft to its fleet as part of a plan to modernize its medium-haul fleet.
The company said in a statement today that it had agreed with the European aircraft manufacturer (Airbus) to introduce 20 modern aircraft of the “Airbus A320neo” model to its fleet.
The company explained that the agreement comes within the framework of a strategic plan that it is implementing “to modernize the fleet of aircraft dedicated to medium-range distances to serve the company’s destinations in the Middle East, the Arabian Gulf, Africa and Europe.”
The statement quoted Chief Executive Officer of Royal Jordanian Samer Majali as saying that the company’s decision to introduce these aircraft “comes within the framework of Royal Jordanian’s new plan and strategy for the period between 2022-2028, related to remaining the number one airline in the Levant region and promoting Jordan as a tourist destination.”
He added that extensive feasibility studies conducted by Royal Jordanian led to the continuation of adopting the same type of aircraft currently operating in the fleet of the “Airbus 320” family, as it was the best option from a financial point of view, achieving the best return and the lowest operating cost, as it has been operating within the company’s fleet for more than 35 years.
Majali explained that Royal Jordanian will work to increase the Airbus fleet of up to 20 A320neo aircraft as an alternative to the currently leased aircraft when the current lease periods expire, as this model is the latest produced by Airbus.
In a related development, Majali said that discussions are continuing with the American company Boeing to increase the number of “B787” aircraft in the coming period to work on long-range network lines.
Royal Jordanian’s fleet currently includes 7 Boeing 787 aircraft, according to Majali, who confirmed that the company seeks to increase the total number of these aircraft to 11.
He added that Royal Jordanian will work to modernize its fleet dedicated to serving short-range lines, and replace the old ones, as the type of selected aircraft will be announced soon.
He pointed out that the introduction of small aircraft into the fleet will support its regional network and direct the company towards making Amman a major station, enabling it to increase the frequency of operation to all destinations in the region, and adding new stations where Royal Jordanian is looking to strengthen its presence.
Majali affirmed that Royal Jordanian will work to raise the size of the fleet from 24 currently operating aircraft to regarding 40 aircraft during the next 3-5 years, and will make additional efforts, in cooperation with the concerned authorities in this field, to increase the number of passengers and attract tourists from many cities around the world to Jordan, and to Supports the national economy and increases Royal Jordanian revenues at the same time. /ts/