On December 15, 1963, Royal Jordanian Airlines was established by a Royal Decree issued by His Majesty King Hussein, as the national air carrier of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Upon issuing the decree, King Hussein said: “I want our national carrier to be our ambassador of good will around the world and a bridge across which we exchange culture, civilization, trade, technology, friendship and better understanding with the rest of the world”.
Royal Jordanian Airlines shares started being listed on the Amman Stock Exchange in December 2007, after it privatized; Jordanians own majority shares and the company maintained its role as the national carrier of Jordan.
Ever since its establishment, Royal Jordanian Airlines has been an essential contributor to the national economy, bringing in hard currency and playing a key role in attracting tourists from all over the world. It contributes percent of the country’s GDP.
Royal Jordanian Airlines’ 58-year journey has been one of constant progress; during this time, it modernized its fleet, expanded its route network, trained human resources for more efficient work and updated its IT systems.
Royal Jordanian Airlines continues its forward stride under the invaluable guidance of and directives from His Majesty King Abdullah, who generously lends support to the airline.
Royal Jordanian Airlines has a vision “To be the Airline of choice connecting Jordan and the Levant with the world”. It reaches more than 45 direct destinations.
Its headquarters are located in the heart of the capital, Amman, and its flights are operated from Queen Alia International Airport, with its vastly improved infrastructure and cutting-edge facilities. Royal Wings, an Royal Jordanian Airlines subsidiary company, is dedicated to charter business.
Due to its reputation and in view of the international level of competitiveness, Royal Jordanian joined the oneworld airline alliance in 2007.
Royal Jordanian Airlines is keen on introducing advanced, state-of-the-art operating systems that are used across the air transport industry, staying on par with global airlines. Other facilities are constantly introduced by RJ to make travel easier for its passengers, who in 2015 reached three million and were carried on 36,000 flights.
Royal Jordanian Airlines enjoys a leading position, both internationally and locally, due to the great services it offers its passengers. Economy passengers flying with Royal Jordanian can expect to enjoy a hot meal on flights over an hour long, complete with complimentary alcoholic beverages on all medium and long-haul flights.
As the national carrier of Jordan, Royal Jordanian Airlines plays a strategic role in serving the kingdom, reinforcing its image as a secure and politically stable country. This makes Royal Jordanian an airline of choice for the majority of Jordanians flying to different destinations, either on its direct route network or on the network served by the oneworld alliance.
Royal Jordanian Airlines distinguishes itself through its young fleet of aircraft, which averages five years, and through the top-notch services it offers its passengers.
Its clean safety record, which has become its strong trademark, puts Royal Jordanian Airlines in a reputable position globally.
The human resources are the airline’s biggest asset; they have the highest level of qualification and expertise in their different areas.
Growth history of Royal Jordanian Airlines
In 1968, the airline joined the jet age when it introduced the Sud Aviation Caravelle, and expanded the route network to Nicosia, Benghazi, Dhahran and Doha. 1969 saw the addition of service to Munich, Istanbul and Tehran.
In 1970, Alia phased out the F27s and ordered Boeing 707 aircraft. Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi were added to the network. The 707s were delivered in 1971. In that year, service was initiated to Madrid, Copenhagen and Karachi.
During the rest of the decade, Boeing 720s, Boeing 727s, and Boeing 747s were added to the fleet. A catering department was established, and duty-free shops were opened at Amman airport. Services were added to destinations including Bahrain, Dubai, Muscat, Rabat, Geneva, Amsterdam, Baghdad, Bangkok, Vienna, Damascus, New York City, Houston, and Ras al-Khaimah.
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 IMB computer center was inaugurated. Lockheed L-1011 Tristars, Airbus A310s and Airbus A320s joined the fleet. In 1986, Alia changed its name to Royal Jordanian, when princess Alia was nearing her divorce. The airline’s first woman pilot flew one of their aircraft during this decade. Service was added to Belgrade, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Bucharest, Singapore, Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur – in cooperation with MAS, Sana’a, Moscow, Montreal, Delhi, Kolkata and Ankara. This decade also saw the introduction of the Gabriel Automated Ticket System – (GATS).
The 1990s saw further expansion. Royal Jordanian and nine other Arab air carriers signed up for the Galileo CRS. The IMCS maintenance and engineering system was added, a new Amman city air terminal was opened at the 7th Circle of the Jordanian capital, and services to Rafah started, since then halted. The cities of Toronto, Colombo, Jakarta, Berlin, Mumbai, Milan, and Tel Aviv were added to the network. In November 1997, Royal Jordanian Airlines became a code-sharing partner with the US carrier Trans World Airlines and moved operations into the TWA Flight Center (Terminal 5) at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
