Royal Jordanian
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| Founded | 1963 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Queen Alia International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Aqaba Airport Dubai International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Royal Plus | ||||||
| Alliance | Oneworld | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Royal Jordanian Xpress Royal Wings | ||||||
| Fleet size | 27 (+20 orders, 12 Options) | ||||||
| Destinations | 60 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Amman, Jordan | ||||||
| Key people | Samer A. Majali (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.rj.com | ||||||
Royal Jordanian Airlines (Arabic: الملكية الأردنية; transliterated: al-Malakiyah al-Orduniyah) is an airline based in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents. Its main base is Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), Amman. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and the Oneworld global airline alliance. The airline won the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation award for Airline Turnaround of the Year 2006 on 9 November 2006.[1] The airline operates over 350 flights per week, with the capabilities to transport 45,000 passengers internationally per week. [2] Royal Jordanian intends to have a fleet numbering around 45 by the year 2010, marking a huge expansion of the airline considering in 2005 the fleet only numbered 17 aircraft. Until 2007, Royal Jordanian had never ordered any Boeing Aircraft despite using 747's in late 1980's, after that they only operated Airbus fleet. This will remain like this until 2010 when the airline receives its first Boeing 787, with another 11 on order.
History
The airline was established on 9 December 1963 and started operations on 15 December 1963 after a royal decree by the late King Hussein. The airline was named Alia, or Aalya, after the King's eldest daughter from his first marriage; not to be confused with the name of the airport which is named after King Hussein's third wife: Alia, or Alyaa'. The airline was founded with capital from private shareholders who were later bought out by the Jordanian government.
Alia Jordanian Airlines started with 2 Handley Page Dart Heralds and a Douglas DC-7, and 3 international routes, to Kuwait, Beirut and Cairo. In 1964 another DC-7 arrived and services to Jeddah inaugurated. In 1965, Alia started services to Europe, with Rome added to the route system. All the progress the airline made was threatened by the Israeli air raid during the 1967 war when the DC-7s were destroyed. These planes were replaced by two Fokker F27 planes. 1968 saw expansion to Nicosia, Benghazi, Dhahran and Doha. 1969 saw further expansion into Europe and other parts of Asia, including Munich, Tehran and Istanbul.
In 1970 Alia joined the jet age when they phased out the F-27s and ordered Boeing 707 aircraft. Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi were added to the network in 1970 and in 1971 the 707s arrived. In 1971 Madrid, Copenhagen and Karachi were added to the network. The rest of the decade saw Boeing 720s Boeing 727s and Boeing 747s added.
A catering department was established, as well as duty free shops in Amman's airport. Services were added to several other cities, including:Bahrain, Dubai, Muscat, Rabat, Geneva, Amsterdam, Baghdad, Bangkok, Vienna, Larnaca, Damascus, New York City, Ras al-Khaimah and Houston. In 1979, Alia became a founding member of the Arab Airlines Technical Consortium (AATC).
In the 1980s Tunis and Tripoli joined the route map, and Alia's IBM computer center was inaugurated. Lockheed L-1011s and Airbus A310s and A320s joined the fleet and in 1986, Alia changed its name to Royal Jordanian. The airline's first woman pilot flew one of their aircraft during this decade, and services were added to other cities, including Belgrade, Chicago, Bucharest, Los Angeles, Singapore, Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur (in cooperation with Malaysian Airlines), Sana'a, Moscow, Miami, Montreal, New Delhi, Calcutta and Ankara. This decade also saw the opening of the Gabriel Automated Ticket System, (GATS).
The 1990s saw the expansion continue. Royal Jordanian and nine other Arabian airlines signed up with the Galileo reservations system, the IMCS maintenance and engineering system was added, a new city terminal was opened at the 7th Circle in Amman, and services to Gaza were inaugurated. The cities of Toronto, Colombo, Jakarta, Berlin, Mumbai, Milan and Tel Aviv (with 3 daily flights) were added to the network. Royal Jordanian became code sharing partners with TWA.
In 2000, the FAA renewed the airline's maintenance and engineering department's license, and the duty free shop was among the services to be privatised. A holding company, RJI, wholly owned by the government, was incorporated as a public limited company in February 2001 to hold all the airline and associated investments. The name has been officially changed to Alia, The Royal Jordanian Airline, although to its clients it is still known simply as Royal Jordanian.
Subsidiary Royal Wings started Royal Jordanian's first domestic service to Aqaba using a Fokker F-27 plane on 10 February 1996. Royal Wings now operates Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 aircraft on both scheduled and charter services to destinations in Egypt, Cyprus, Israel and the West Bank. Royal Jordanian signed an agreement in October 2005 for two Q400s previously operated by SAS Commuter, larger and faster variants of the Dash 8 series.
On December 20 2006, Royal Jordanian announced that they would replace 2 Airbus A321s with two new ones, and buy two new Airbus A319s which are to start operations in early 2008.
In April 2007 Royal Jordanian became part of the Oneworld alliance. It became the first Arab airline to join an alliance and remains only one to date. The following month, the airline announced it had ordered a total of 10 Boeing 787-8s, for service entry in 2010.This is the first order Royal Jordanian had ever placed with Boeing.[2].
Montreal, Canada rejoined the network on May 25 2007, after the route was cancelled 1997. The new service is twice weekly. Also during May, Royal Jordanian was the sponsor of the World Economic Forum, which was being held at the Dead Sea, Jordan.
On July 11 2007 Royal Jordanian celebrated thirty years of non-stop service between Amman and New York, making it the longest serving Arab airline to the USA. Royal Jordanian won the Airline Strategy Award in the technology category at the sixth annual Airline Strategy Awards on, July 16 2007. On the July 23 2007, Royal Jordanian saw the first cargo flights between Amman and Damascus, with Royal Jordanian using a Boeing 737.
Royal Jordanian made its first flight to the capital of Hungary, Budapest on July 28 2007, using an Embraer 195, from that date on flights between Amman and Budapest occur twice weekly.
On October 25 2007 Royal Jordanian Airlines announced that it has converted two Embraer 195 jets from its original order into two Embraer 175. Royal Jordanian also opened a new lounge at Aqaba Airport.
It was announced by Royal Jordanian that it will be the first airline in the Middle East to provide its passengers with OnAir’s inflight Internet and mobile phone services, including email, SMS and voice calls. [3] Royal Jordanian also upgraded its 3 Airbus A310s at a cost of over 10 million Jordanian dinars.
On December 24 2007, Royal Jordanian confirmed Baku, Azerbaijan as one of its new routes in 2008, with the airline using an Embraer 195 twice weekly from Amman,
On January 22 2008, Royal Jordanian made its first flight to Hong Kong from Amman via Bangkok with three flights weekly during winter, and five flights weekly during summer, making it the first route Royal Jordanian serves in China. [4]
The Airbus A319 entered service on 13 March 2008 [5]
Statistics
The following information can be found in the 2006 Royal Jordanian Annual Report, with the following link.[6]
| Year | Aircraft Kilometers | Departures | Flying Hours | Passengers | Seat Factor | Employees | Profit / Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 37,767,709 | 17,096 | 55,970 | 1,339,779 | 66% | 3,008 | Loss 3,044,000 JD |
| 2003 | 36,933,462 | 16,202 | 54,972 | 1,404,588 | 68% | 3,162 | Loss 9,753,000 JD |
| 2004 | 44,557,377 | 19,148 | 66,004 | 1,736,637 | 71% | 3,313 | Profit 15,327,000 JD |
| 2005 | 45,557,377 | 20,777 | 68,883 | 1,821,329 | 69% | 3,557 | Profit 20,516,000 JD |
| 2006 | 52,274,917 | 25,661 | 77,374 | 2,004,559 | 66% | 3,799 | Profit 6,135,000 JD |
| 2007 | TBA | TBA | 88,378 | 2,400,987 | 71% | TBA | Profit 24,111,000 JD |
- Aircraft Kilometers 2007: TBA
- Number of departures 2007: TBA
- Flying Hours 2007: 88,378 (
12.45%) - Total number of passengers 2007: ( 16.51%)
- Seat Factor 2007: 71%. ( 5%)
- Employees 2007: TBA
- Profit / Loss 2007: Profit 24,111,000 JD ( 74.56%)
| Year | Passengers | Cargo | Excess Baggage | Airmail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 285,913 | 45,944 | 4,413 | 2,364 |
| 2006 | 294,237 | 43,326 | 4,891 | 2,851 |
- Scheduled Passenger Flights 2006: 294,237 ( 2.83%)
- Scheduled Cargo Flights 2006: 43,326 (
5.70%) - Scheduled Excess Baggage Flights 2006: 4,891 ( 9.77%)
- Scheduled Airmail Flights 2006: 2,851 ( 17.08%)
Subsidiaries
Royal Jordanian also has stakes in the following:
- Royal Jordanian Cargo 100% [7]
- Royal Wings 100% [8]
- Jordan Airline Training and Simulation Limited (JATS) 20% [9]
- Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Limited (JorAMCo) 20% [10]
- Alpha (Flight catering services company) 20% [11]
- Royal Jordanian Air Academy 6% [12]
New Destinations
| Destination | Aircraft | Start Date | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqaba (Cargo) | Boeing 737-200 | February 15,2008 | Daily |
| Baku [13] | Embraer 195-200 AR or Airbus A320 | April 1, 2008 | Twice weekly |
The following changes will stay until January 2009. [14]
| Destination | Frequency (Per week) | Equipment | Commencing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi, India | From 2 weekly to 6 weekly | 6- Airbus A319-132 | 2 April, 2008 |
| Aqaba, Jordan | From 8 weekly to 14 weekly | 10- Embraer E-195-200 AR, 4- Embraer E-175 | 1 September, 2008 |
| Beirut, Lebanon | From 21 weekly to 28 weekly | 20- Airbus A321-200, 2- Embraer E-175, 6- Airbus A310-300 | 25 May, 2008 |
| New York City, United States of America | From 4 weekly to 5 weekly | 5- Airbus A340-200 | 1 September, 2008 |
| London Heathrow, United Kingdom | From 7 weekly to 8 weekly | 7- Airbus A321-200, 1- Airbus A310-300 | 1 May, 2008 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates | From 7 weekly to 12 weekly | 11- Airbus A321-200, 1- Airbus A310-300 | 1 May, 2008 |
| Cairo, Egypt | From 14 weekly to 16 weekly | 13- Embraer E-195-200 AR, 2- Airbus A321-200, 1- Airbus A310-300 | 1 July, 2008 |
Destinations
See full article: Royal Jordanian destinations
Fleet
The Royal Jordanian fleet consists of the following aircraft as of March 2008:[3]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Crown/Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 3 | 201 (18/183) | Medium-long haul routes New IFE and color scheme Replacement aircraft: Boeing 787-8 |
| Airbus A319-132 | 1 (3 orders) |
110 (14/96) [15] | Short-Medium haul routes Entry into service: 2008 New Seats with AVOD |
| Airbus A320-200 | 5 | 136 (16/120) | Short-medium haul routes New seats with AVOD |
| Airbus A320-212 | 1 | 168 (168) | Charter aircraft Operated by: Royal Wings |
| Airbus A321-200 | 4 (2 orders) |
168 (20/148) | Short-medium haul routes New seats with AVOD |
| Airbus A340-200 | 5 (One Belonging to the King) |
254 (24/230) | Long haul routes New IFE and color scheme Replacement aircraft: Boeing 787-8 |
| Airbus A340-600 | (1 order) | Will Belong to King of Jordan, Current A340-200 he uses will move to RJ fleet | |
| Boeing 787-8 | (12 orders) | 296 | Entry into service: 2010 Replacing: Airbus A310 & Airbus A340 Family Middle-Eastern launch customer |
| Embraer E-195-200 AR | 5 (12 options) |
100 (12/88) | Middle Eastern, African and European routes |
| Embraer E-175 | (2 orders) | 72 (12/60) | Entry into service: Late 2008 Middle Eastern, African routes |
| Fokker F28 | 2 | 60 (8/52) | Iraqi routes only |
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 | 1 | 58 (58) | Royal Wings, and charters. |
The Royal Jordanian average fleet age, as of November 2007, is 6.1 years.
Cargo
Royal Jordanian Cargo (Royal Jordanian Airlines Cargo) is the company's freight division operating to Africa, Europe, North America and Middle East. The airline also offers world-wide cargo charter services.
| Aircraft | Total | Capacity (Weight) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-300F[16] | 2 | 35.5 tonnes | Medium-long haul routes New color scheme |
| Boeing 737-200 [17] | 1 | 14.5 tonnes | Short haul routes (Damascus) New color scheme |
Retired fleet
Fokker F-27, Boeing 707, Boeing 727, Boeing 747, Douglas DC-7 and Lockheed L-1011
Royal Plus
Royal Plus is Royal Jordanians frequent flyer program. Passengers are awarded points based on the type, class of flight and destination. Royal Plus members can also get points by traveling on other Oneworld airlines.
Services
Catering
Food and drinks served on flights leaving Amman are provided by Alpha Group. Hot meals will be served on a flight of at least one hour length. If the flight is shorter than one hour the cabin crew will provide snacks and drinks throughout the flight. These flights include those to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Aqaba from Amman.
In-flight entertainment
Royal Jordanians onboard entertainment system is called Sky Cinema. All seats in all classes are equipped with personal TV (PTV), or will be equipped by the end of 2008.
- In Economy Class every passenger on new aircraft are supplied with personal TV (PTV) as well as televisions that are in front of the lavatories and every five rows down. A310 and A340 aircraft do not have PTV in Economy Class, this is expected by the end of 2008.
- In Crown Class, passengers are provided with AVOD and 35 video channels and 25 audio channels.
There are also interactive games which are available in all classes on all flights, as well as up to date news provided by CNN on all flights.
On very short flights, from Amman to Tel Aviv, Amman to Beirut and Amman to Damascus, the AVOD system is turned on but there is only the selection of games, CNN News and the comedy channel.
Newspapers and magazines
Newspapers and magazines are available to all Crown Class passengers. Free newspapers are also provided to all Economy class passengers, but must be requested by the passenger if not collected upon boarding the aircraft. The in-flight magazine, Royal Wings Magazine, is provided to all passengers on all flights.
Crown Class
The seats are fully adjustable. The new Crown Class will also feature a new extendable meal table and an enhanced personal entertainment system with a fully adjustable 17" 16:9 TV screen. On all the fleet the seat has the ability to recline 180 degrees with a seating space of at least 46 inches in all the narrow bodied aircraft, whilst on the A340 the seating space is 83 inches, and on the A310 the seating space is 51 inches.
Crown Class lounges
Royal Jordanian offers its Crown Class passengers the use of lounges across the world including all Oneworld member airline lounges. Royal Jordanian operates three of its own lounges - one in each terminal in Amman and one at Aqaba Airport. It should be noted that a new lounge in Amman should be opened in April 2008, that should be of a high-standard.
Economy Class
The new seats will allow the passenger to recline their seat, with a personal television located on the seat directly in front of them, offering Audio Video On Demand.
Zuwar stopover
Transiting passengers in Jordan can use the Zuwar Stopover package and spend a few days in Jordan.
Royal Vacations program
Royal Jordanians "Royal Vacations Program" sells vacations. Points from staying at Royal Jordanian partner hotels will give points towards the Royal Plus program.
Royal Jordanian lounges
According to Oneworld website, Royal Jordanian has 32 lounges worldwide. [18]
| Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered |
|---|---|
| Queen Alia International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (One in each terminal) |
| Suvarnabhumi Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Thai Royal Orchid Lounge) |
| Frankfurt International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Shared with American Airlines) |
| Dubai International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Marhaba lounge and DCA Business Class Lounge) |
| Abu Dhabi International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Alghouzlan Lounge) |
| Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Generic Airport Lounge) |
| Hong Kong International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (To be shared with Cathay Pacific) |
| Aden International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Alzaafran Lounge Lounge) |
| Schiphol Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Penauille Service Air Lounge) |
| Bahrain International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Dilmun Lounge) |
| Cairo International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Egypt Air First Class Lounge) |
| Damascus International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Al-Cham Hotel Lounge) |
| Indira Gandhi International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Sheraton Lounge) |
| Mumbai International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Celebration Lounge) |
| Jeddah International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Oasis Lounge) |
| John F. Kennedy International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Oasis Lounge) |
| Kuwait International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Dasman Lounge) |
| Khartoum International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Chief House Lounge) |
| London Heathrow Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Servisair Globe Ground Lounge) |
| Montreal International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Maple Leaf Lounge) |
| Domodedovo International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (AVK Business Lounge) |
| King Khalid International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (First Class Lounge) |
| Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (ADR LeAnfore Lounge) |
| Sana'a International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Balquis Lounge) |
| Ben Gurion International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Dan Lounges) |
| Tripoli International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Winzrik Lounge) |
| Tunis-Carthage International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Espace Privilege Lounge) |
| Vienna International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Air International Lounge) |
| Zurich International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Bellevue Lounge) |
| Seeb International Airport | Crown Class Lounge Offered (Oman Air Lounge) |
Royal Jordanian Crown Class passengers along with Gold and Platinum Royal Plus members and Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members are also allowed to use any Oneworld member airline lounges. Silver Frequent Flyer are also welcome to use the Royal Jordanian lounges
Royal Jordanian charity activities
- Aid to Lebanon , Gaza, Iraq and Pakistan - RJ staff contributed two shipments of goods to the needy in Lebanon and in Gaza, following a campaign among staff to contribute one or two days pay to help those who suffered from the military operations during the summer of 2006. The shipments included heaters, gas ovens, wheelchairs, foodstuff, blankets, school bags and baby milk. The goods were shipped to Lebanon on RJ, and to Gaza through Jordanian charity organizations. In cooperation with the United Nations, RJ ran four air cargo trips from Amman to Islamabad carrying foodstuff, medical supplies and human aid, a donation from Jordan to the victims of natural disasters that hit Pakistan in 2005. RJ also carried 27 tons of aid donated by Japanese charities to the Iraqi people, in addition to running four other trips carrying aid from Japan to Iraq.
- Donating free tickets for the Society of Families and Friends of the Disabled - This donation enables disabled people to participate in the First Arab Recreation, Sport, and Cultural Camp in Egypt.
- Injaz Program - For three years, RJ has been supporting and sponsoring the Injaz program for providing economic opportunities for Jordanian Youth.
- Contributing to Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans
- Supporting Ladies of Iraq Al-Ameer Cooperative Society
- Al-Shajara Cultural Forum
- AZM Project
Royal Jordanian awards
- 2007 Airline Strategy Award
- King Abdullah II Award for Excellence
- Best Arab airline website
- Air Transport World magazine names RJ Phoenix Award winner
- CAPA Airline Turnaround of the Year 2006
- International Star Award for Quality
Codeshare agreements
In addition to its Oneworld partnerships, Royal Jordanian has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
- Aeroflot
- Air Canada
- American Airlines
- Austrian
- Cyprus Airways
- Gulf Air
- Malév Hungarian Airlines
- Syrian Arab Airlines
- Thai Airways International
- UM Airlines
- US Airways
Livery
Royal Jordanians's livery is a dark grey fuselage with the titles in gold both in English and Arabic. Red tips are located on the fins, winglets and engines of the aircraft as well as two strips, one gold and one red, down the fuselage. The fin contains a crown. This livery has been in service since 2006, before then the livery was similar however the engines were not painted nor were the winglets of the aircraft.
Charter services
Private charter flights using aircraft from the Royal Jordanian fleet is uncommon but can occur if the aircraft from the Royal Jordanian subsidiaries Royal Wings cannot meet the requirements of the customer.
Aircraft Names
The airline designated names of Jordanian cities on its new aircraft that joined the fleet in the last two years and the ones that will join as a part of its mission of promoting Jordan to the world.
Incidents and accidents
There have been four major incidents or accidents involving Alia Jordanian flights:
- On 10 April, 1965, an Alia Jordanian Handley Page Dart Herald en route from Beirut to Amman crashed near Damascus in Syria. All four crew members and 50 passengers were killed[4].
- On 22 January, 1973, an Alia Jordanian Boeing 707 crashed on landing at Kano airport in Nigeria. Six crew members and 170 passengers were killed[5].
- On 3 August, 1975, an Alia Jordanian Boeing 707 heading for Agadir airport in Morocco crashed into high ground. All seven crew members and 181 passengers were killed[6].
- On 13 March, 1979, an Alia Jordanian Boeing 727 crashed on landaing at Doha airport in Qatar. Three crew members and 42 passengers were killed[7].
Since the name change to Royal Jordanian Airlines, the only fatal incident was when a hijacker seeking political asylum was killed on 5 July, 2000, on board a Royal Jordanian Airbus A320 flying from Queen Alia International Airport to Damascus[8].