The History of Royal Jordanian Airlines

 1. Early Jordanian Carriers

When Jordan attained its independence in 1946, it sought to grow its identity by establishing its own airline, which took form vis--vis January 1 of that year as Arab Airways. Inaugurating support to Beirut, it go ahead its wings to Baghdad and Cairo by August of 1947, and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) became its principle speculator.

Evolving into Arab Airways Jerusalem, Limited, six years at the forefront, it operated a fleet of twin-engine de Havilland Rapides from Jerusalem itself to Beirut and Cairo, but eventually increase Aden, Amman, Baghdad, and Jeddah. It was not the region's without help carrier, however.

Air Jordan, confirmed in 1950 by H. E. Ismail Bilbeisi Fasha, had itself commenced assist from Amman when Airspeed Consuls, but a 1953 cash infusion by Trans Ocean Airlines, a non-scheduled carrier that operated charter and concurrence flights, enabled it to revolutionize its fleet once 21-passenger Douglas DC-3s. These ultimately similar Amman subsequent to Kabul via Kuwait and Kandahar.

Mirroring what had now become its competitor, Arab Airways Jerusalem equally acquired this blimp type.

Vying for much of the same passenger base, but facing competition from new Middle Eastern airlines, they elected to combine and form Air Jordan of the Holy Land.

Initially on the go two Convair CV-240s leased from Trans Ocean, it purchased a DC-4 in 1960, subsequent to which it was clever to advance longer routes, such as those to Rome from its Amman hub. Despite the promise this larger, quad-engine jet offered, the fledgling airline was infuriated to subside operations as regards September 1 of the once year taking into account its license was void.

Only a month elapsed in the by now a successor was recognized-in this dogfight, Jordan Airways, which was jointly owned by private interests (40 percent), the Jordanian slant of view (25 percent), and Middle Eastern Airlines (as well as 25 percent), the latter of which provided it later three leased, turboprop-powered Vickers V.700 Viscounts and flight crews. Its reign was equally brief.

2. Flag Carrier

Seeking to make the country's definitive international carrier, King Hussein of Jordan, who himself was a pilot, asked Ali Ghandour, subsequently vice president of Lebanon International Airways, to devise plans for a flag airline, intended, according to the king himself, to encourage as "... a national carrier to be our ambassador of innocent familial regarding the world and the bridge across which we quarrel culture, civilization, trade, technology, friendship, and greater than before settlement as soon as the blazing of the world."

Named after his eldest daughter, the resultant company was christened Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines. Although its structure was unaided finalized regarding December 8, 1963, the king issued one auxiliary demand-namely, that it become airborne within a week.

Achieving what could single-handedly have been considered an impossible aspire, Ghandour was able to transform plans into planes, acquiring two Handley Page Herald 207s leased from the Royal Jordanian Air Force and a single Douglas DC-7C, as soon as which he inaugurated assistance from Amman to Beirut not in the set against off from December 15. Cairo and Kuwait were supplementary the once week and a second DC-7 enabled it to abet Jeddah.

Piston engines as soon as yielded to unadulterated-plane ones, subsequent to the acquisition of Sud-Aviation SE.210-10R Caravelles, the first of which was delivered regarding July 29, 1965, and the type facilitated high-liveliness, above-the-weather facilities to Europe, principally to Rome and Paris.

Ever combating adversity and obstacle, however, it by now anew faced an opponent. Seizing run of Jerusalem two years compound, in June, Israel instantly pulled the plug on the subject of two of the country's most important resources--tourism and agriculture-significantly decreasing demand for the membership carrier's services, which resulted in low plane load factors.

It was during this latest crisis that the Jordanians discovered a third resource-namely, themselves-and and no-one else considering position and dedication did Alia remain aloft. The paperwork's subsequent acquisition of it gave it the necessary financial preserve.

Having successfully navigated its latest turbulence, it marked its gate into the 1970s once the acquisition of its first long-range jet jet, receiving the first of two Boeing 707-320Cs a propos January 19 of the as soon as year, and these facilitated route go ahead, specifically to Karachi in the east and Madrid, Casablanca, and Copenhagen in the west.

A joint, although brief, assistance was furthermore operated from Karachi to East Africa considering Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The 707 was unaided the first of several Boeing types acquired. Two 720Bs, for instance, were obtained in 1972 for medium-range, lower-density sectors, though three 727-200 Advanced tri-jets were purchased for unexpected- to medium-range operations. Equipped later a more supple and economical fleet, it was swift to press to come within the region and to the European continent.

Entering the widebody era, Alia usual the first of two Boeing 747-200Bs concerning December 15, 1976, which facilitated the inauguration of transatlantic support from Amman to New York and Houston via Vienna or Amsterdam in July of the as soon as year, the first Arab carrier to do in view of that. It became the first of two widebody types to be operated.

Deviating from its all-Boeing fleet, it ordered six Lockheed L-1011-500s. Entering bolster in October of 1981 together with Amman and London-Heathrow, the tri-engine type enabled the carrier to facilitate European destinations and several Middle East destinations, such as those to the Gulf States, considering widebody jet for the first times.

Supplementing its 747s, it operated the Amman-Vienna/Amsterdam-New York routes as regards pick days, as expertly as a newly inaugurated one to Los Angeles considering an intermediate similar less in Chicago. The JFK sector was moreover upgraded to nonstop status and some flights operated through Montreal.

By 1982, it operated seven 707-320Cs, one 720-030B, six 727-200 Advanceds, three 747-200Bs, of which two were in combi configuration following main deck cargo loading capabilities, and two L-1011-500s.

After retirement of the four-engine narrow bodies, by 1985 its fleet centered taking place for the 747 for long-range, high-density routes, the TriStar 500 for medium- to long-range, medium-density segments, and the 727 for curt- to medium-range, low-density sectors.

December 15, 1986 marked several milestones: the Jordanian flag carrier much-admired both its tenth anniversary of Middle East-United States benefits and its silver, quarter century jubilee, marking the occasion taking into account a subsidiary corporate image and say, the latter amended from Alia to, hence, Royal Jordanian Airlines, in order to put emphasis on its identity.

"The auxiliary corporate proclaim," said Ali Ghandour, its Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, "is the embodiment of our prudence of descent, as skillfully as our sense of destiny, of our accomplishments and aspirations, and in the process the 'royal' relationship that we have maintained since the enormously dawn is identified, emphasized, and highly thought of.

"Last but not least," he concluded, "I goal to highlight that we did not intend alter for its own sake, but to sentient up to ourselves and to the world that we are far away ahead in our position, sympathetic in our efforts to forge ahead, and confident as dexterously as full of hopes of a gleaming well ahead."

Royal Jordanian's route system, as of January 1, 1987, consisted of 41 cities in 34 countries re speaking four continents.

Of these, three were long-range North Atlantic routes, including the Amman-Vienna-New York, Amman-Amsterdam-New York, and Amman-Vienna-Chicago-Los Angeles sectors, and two were long-range Far Eastern ones, inclusive of Amman-Bangkok and Amman-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore.

Two North African routes were customary, from Amman to Tripoli and from Amman to Tunis and Casablanca, though a single destination was served in the former Soviet Union, Moscow.

European destinations included Amsterdam, Athens, Belgrade, Brussels, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, Larnaca, London, Madrid, Paris-Orly, Rome, and Vienna.

Not surprisingly, a muggy Middle East route amalgamation encompassed Abu Dhabi, Amman, Baghdad, Bahrain, Cairo, Damascus, Dhahran, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Karachi, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh, and Sana'a.

Its sole domestic sector was that between its hub and Aqaba.

Two joint services were with operated--those to Beirut among Middle Eastern Airlines and to East Berlin behind Interflug.

During the five-year era from 1979 to 1983, the annual number of passengers carried included the moreover: 1979: 915,000; 1980: 1,100,000; 1981: 1,440,000; 1982: 1,667,273; and 1983: 1,457,334.

3. Subsidiaries

Aside from the airline itself, Royal Jordanian counted several airborne- and field-based subsidiaries within its portfolio.

Of the former was Arab Air Cargo. Succeeding Jordanian World Airways, which itself had been conventional in 1974, it was founded in March of 1982 as a joint Jordanian-Iraqi venture and inaugurated cargo apportion support to in the region of May 1 of the following year following two 707-320Cs in freighter configuration.

Both a enthusiast of the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it flew to cities such as Amman, Amsterdam, Baghdad, Brussels, Dubai, Larnaca, London, and Rome. Six hundred twelve flights were undertaken in 1985, during which 4,521 revenue hours were flown and 21,166 tons of cargo were carried, netting $16.6 million.

Arab Wings, its second auxiliary, provided brusque, regarding-request shape airliner charter bolster to distant and inaccessible parts of the Middle East and was subsequently the lonesome operation of its nice in the region. Jointly financed by the supervision of Oman (one-third) and Royal Jordanian itself (two-thirds), it inaugurated assistance in May of 1975 and operated two six-passenger Gates Learjet 35s and a single eight-passenger Rockwell Sabreliner 75A from Amman and Muscat flight bases.

During the three-year mature from 1981 to 1983, it respectively carried 1,636, 2,116, and 1,390 passengers.

A sever branch, Arab Wings Flying Ambulance (AWFA), provided aeromedical assuage and first took to the character in 1978.

Sierra Leone Airlines, its third auxiliary, was formed in 1982 to succeed the 1958-highly thought of Sierra Leone Airways and inaugurated assist that November from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to London, following shared ownership by Royal Jordanian (20 percent), private interests (20 percent), and the Sierra Leone running (60 percent).

Subsequent have an effect on to the lead resulted in the commencement of international services from Freetown-Lungi to Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Accra (Ghana), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Las Palmas (Canary Islands), London, Monrovia (Liberia), and Paris, while domestic flights, based at Freetown-Hastings, similar the airdrome subsequent to Bonthe, Kenema, and Yangema, each and every one single one gone one 707-320, one 720, and two Britten-Norman Trislanders. These were well along replaced by CASA C-212-200 Aviocars.

Aside from these subsidiaries, Royal Jordanian in addition to had several arena-based ones. These included Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA), which opened not quite May 25, 1983 and featured two inter-related terminals gone 12 gates and could annually handle taking place to five million passengers.

Hospitality Service, which had the knack to prepare 20,000 daily meals for in-flight catering purposes, the terminal restaurant, the snack bars, and the staff cafeterias, managed the four-star, 315-room Alia Gateway Hotel, which opened in 1985 and was used by transit passengers and flight crews. It along with oversaw the airstrip faithfulness pardon shops.

Royal Jordanian's training center was subdivided into the Technical Training Institute and the Commercial and Management Center.

Consisting of both civil and military branches, the Royal Jordanian Air Academy, still another auxiliary, was designated the Regional Technical Center for the Middle East in 1985 by IATA.

Several supplement concerns included the Queen Noor Civil Aviation Institute; Arab Air Services, which was the engineering consultative branch that aided in the design and construction of the airfield itself along as well as 1979 and 1983; the Royal Jordanian Folklore Group; the Alia Art Gallery; and Royal Tours.

4. RJ Today

Fleet modernization marked the last decade of Royal Jordanian's 20th century archives and signaled a allegiance shift from long-time Boeing and Lockheed products to Airbus Industrie airliner, the first of which was the A-310-300.

Powered by two high bypass ratio turbofans and flown by a two-person cockpit crew, it replaced the 727s on the subject of routes where demand exceeded its talent or proved too skinny for its L-1011s, still offered twin-aisle widebody comfort. Because of its range gift, it even operated the one-fall Jordan-US transatlantic sectors, particularly during edited-demand periods.

These, however, were primarily flown by a second Airbus fleet appendage happening, the quad-engine A-340-200, which eventually replaced both the 747s and the TriStars.

Bonafide 727 replacements, upon regional, Middle Eastern, North African, and European segments, took form as the twin-engine, narrow body A-319, A-320, and A-321 relatives, while unexpected- and regional-range routes were flown by yet choice type, the dual-class configured Embraer E-175 and E-195, which respectively accommodated 72 and 100 passengers. Both were ably-suited to the 45-minute hop surrounded by the capital and the Red Sea resort of Aqaba.

Accepted as a follower of the Oneworld alliance in 2007, Royal Jordanian continued to rearrange its long-range fleet, acquiring 233,000-kg A-330-200s configured for 24 Crown and 259 economy seats in the midst of 2010 and 2011 and 227,930-kg 787-8 Dreamliners respectively uncomplaining 24 and 247 passengers along surrounded by August and November of 2014. The A-310s had intermittently been converted into freighters subsequent to than than upward-commencement, main deck cargo doors and the A-340s, because of their no-longer economical, four-engine fuel consumption, were the complete removed from support.

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Poised upon the threshold of its golden jubilee upon December 15, 2012, Royal Jordanian introduced a 50th anniversary livery upon one of its airliner, which approximately-enacted the carrier's first scheduled route to Beirut.

Having combated obstacle and regional encounter, it had served as a necessary contributor to the country's culture and economy. With few natural resources, and its agriculture and tourism having behind been locked in the occupied West Bank, it had served as the melody bridge to the on fire of the world, becoming one of the country's primary revenue sources, and for this gloss viewed connecting passengers as severe to its continued existence. As a consequences, it had, to a significant degree, served as the put into outfit upon which the country itself had depended.

Reflecting upon the carrier's records during the golden jubilee ceremony held at Queen Alia International Airport in December of 2012, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nasser Lozi, said, "When His Majesty King Hussein launched Alia-as RJ used to be named-upon December 15, 1963, he wanted it to be the national carrier of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan once the outlook of contributing to the build occurring of Jordan and promoting relationships gone subsidiary cultures and establishing associates gone additional nations... (Today) we are cold of mammal the national carrier that connects Jordan and the Levant subsequently the world."