Amman – AFP
Royal Jordanian Airlines announced in a statement, Sunday, that it intends to introduce twenty modern Airbus aircraft into its air fleet as part of a strategic plan to modernize the fleet of medium-range aircraft.
The company said in a statement: The company has agreed with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus to introduce 20 modern Airbus A320neo aircraft to its fleet; This is within the framework of the strategic plan implemented by the company 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 Royal Jordanian CEO Samer Al-Majali as saying that Royal Jordanian will work to expand the Airbus fleet to 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.
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; It was the best option from a financial point of view, achieving the best return and the lowest operating cost, as it has been working within the company’s fleet for more than 35 years.”
He explained 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, which is related to Royal Jordanian remaining the number one airline in the Levant region.”
In a related context, Majali stated that “talks are continuing with the American Boeing Company to increase the number of B787 aircraft in the coming period to work on long-range network lines; The fleet of Royal Jordanian currently includes 7 Boeing 787 aircraft, noting that the company seeks to increase the total number of these aircraft to reach 11 aircraft.
He explained that «Royal Jordanian will work to modernize its fleet dedicated to serving short-range lines, and replace the old ones; The type of aircraft selected will be announced soon.
He pointed out that “the introduction of small-sized aircraft to 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 stressed that “Royal Jordanian will work to raise the size of the fleet from 24 currently operating aircraft to about 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 in a manner that It supports the national economy and raises Royal Jordanian revenues at the same time.” Majali said on June 20 that the losses of Royal Jordanian during the pandemic exceeded 200 million dinars (about 282 million dollars).