Royal Jordanian to introduce seven new Airbus aircraft

AMMAN (JT) –– Royal Jordanian (RJ) on Tuesday announced that it intends to introduce seven new Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft to replace six Airbus currently operating in the fleet.

The first delivery of the airplanes is scheduled for April of next year, and the others will follow in 2012, according to an RJ statement.

RJ President and Chief Executive Officer Hussein Dabbas said the order for new aircraft underlines the airline’s continued commitment to upgrade its fleet and expand operations in addition to enabling the airline to offer its passengers the highest level of comfort and an extensive choice of routes.

He pointed out that the new extra aircraft will give the company the flexibility to easily tailor the fleet to the needs of the market, serving the short- and medium-range routes.

Dabbas said that the replacement consists of four Airbus A320s and two Airbus A321s, plus an additional A320.

According to Dabbas, the six aircraft that will leave the airline are not old, as each has six years of operations, but RJ continues its plans to provide new and better services to the passengers.

The newly manufactured airliners are to be equipped with a state-of-the-art entertainment system that enjoys more efficient technical features, said the statement, adding the new aircraft are bound to save the airline maintenance and operational costs.

The RJ president said that the fleet, which currently comprises around 30 aircraft, is considered as one of the youngest and most modern in the world.

Last year, RJ concluded its short- and medium-range fleet modernisation programme by introducing 19 newly manufactured aircraft; 12 are from the Airbus 320 family and seven are Embraers 195 and 175. The airline is to add another new Embraer 175 to the fleet in the last quarter of this year.

Regarding the long-range fleet modernisation, Dabbas pointed out that 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners will start joining the RJ fleet in 2013. Moreover, two new Airbus A330s were added last month to serve the long-haul routes. The four Airbus A340s, operated to North America and the Far East, will also undergo a comprehensive renovation process.

jordantimes