Royal Jordanian facts for kids
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| Founded | 9 December 1963 (as Alia Airlines – Royal Jordanian Airlines) |
|---|---|
| Hubs | Amman–Queen Alia |
| Focus cities | Aqaba–King Hussein |
| Frequent-flyer program | Royal Club |
| Alliance | Oneworld |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 29 |
| Destinations | 51 |
| Headquarters | Amman, Jordan |
| Key people | |
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the main airline of Jordan. It used to be called Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines. Its main office is in Amman, the capital city.
This airline flies to many international places across four continents. It has over 500 flights each week. Its main hub is Queen Alia International Airport. Royal Jordanian joined the Oneworld group of airlines in 2007.
Contents
History of Royal Jordanian
How the Airline Started
The airline began on December 9, 1963. It started flying on December 15, 1963. This happened because of a special order from the late King Hussein. The airline was first named Alia. This name came from King Hussein's oldest daughter, Princess Alia bint Al Hussein.
At first, private investors owned the airline. Later, the Jordanian government took over the company.
Early Flights and Growth
Alia started flying with two Handley Page Dart Heralds and one Douglas DC-7 plane. Its first destinations were Kuwait City, Beirut, and Cairo from Amman. In 1964, another DC-7 was added, and flights began to Jeddah. In 1965, Alia started flying to Rome, which was its first destination in Europe.
However, in 1967, an Israeli air raid during the Six-Day War destroyed the DC-7 planes. They were replaced with two Fokker F27s.
In 1968, the airline started using jet planes with the Sud Aviation Caravelle. It added new places to fly to, like Nicosia, Benghazi, Dhahran, and Doha. In 1969, flights began to Munich, Istanbul, and Tehran.
Expanding the Fleet and Network
In 1970, Alia stopped using F27s and ordered Boeing 707s. Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi were added to the flight map. The 707s arrived in 1971. That year, flights started to Madrid, Copenhagen, and Karachi.
Later in the 1970s, more planes joined the fleet. These included Boeing 720s, Boeing 727s, and Boeing 747s. The airline also set up a food service and opened duty-free shops at Amman airport. New destinations included Bahrain, Dubai, Muscat, Rabat, Geneva, Amsterdam, Baghdad, Bangkok, Vienna, Damascus, New York City, Houston, and Ras al-Khaimah.
In the 1980s, Tunis and Tripoli were added to the route map. New planes like Lockheed L-1011 Tristars, Airbus A310s, and Airbus A320s joined the fleet. In December 1986, Alia changed its name to Royal Jordanian Airlines. The airline also had its first woman pilot during this time. More cities were added, such as Belgrade, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Bucharest, Singapore, Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur, Sana'a, Moscow, Montreal, Delhi, Calcutta, and Ankara.
The 1990s brought more growth. Royal Jordanian and other Arab airlines joined the Galileo CRS system for bookings. A new city air terminal opened in Amman. Flights started to Toronto, Colombo, Jakarta, Berlin, Mumbai, Milan, and Tel Aviv. In 1997, Royal Jordanian partnered with Trans World Airlines for shared flights.
Modern Era and Changes
In 2000, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) renewed the airline's maintenance license. The duty-free shop became a private business. In 2001, the airline's official name changed to Alia – The Royal Jordanian Airlines Company, but most people still call it Royal Jordanian.
In December 2006, Royal Jordanian decided to replace two Airbus A321s with new ones. They also ordered four new Airbus A319s.
In April 2007, Royal Jordanian joined Oneworld. This made it the first Arab airline to be part of a global airline group. The next month, the airline ordered 10 Boeing 787s. These planes started flying in 2010. This was Royal Jordanian's first order from Boeing in a long time.
Montreal was added back to the flight map in May 2007. Royal Jordanian also sponsored the World Economic Forum in Jordan. On July 11, 2007, Royal Jordanian celebrated 30 years of non-stop flights between Amman and New York City. This was the longest service by an Arab airline to the U.S.
In July 2007, Royal Jordanian started cargo flights, with Damascus as the first destination. They used a Boeing 737 for this. Royal Jordanian began flights to Budapest on July 28, using an Embraer E195. In October, they changed an order for two Embraer E195s to two Embraer E175s. A new lounge opened at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba.
Royal Jordanian became the first Middle East airline to offer in-flight internet and mobile phone services. This included email, texts, and calls. The airline also upgraded its three Airbus A310s.
At the end of 2007, Royal Jordanian became a private company. About 71% of its shares were sold. Trading of its shares started on December 17, 2007.
In January 2008, Royal Jordanian started flights to Hong Kong through Bangkok. This was the airline's first route to China. The Airbus A319 began service on March 13, 2008. This made Royal Jordanian the first Middle East airline to use three types of Airbus A320 family aircraft. On August 17, 2008, Royal Jordanian opened a new route to Kyiv. On August 24, 2008, a new, larger lounge opened at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman.
In February 2009, Royal Jordanian announced that one of its new A319 planes would be painted with the Oneworld alliance design. This was the first special paint scheme for Royal Jordanian. Royal Jordanian restarted flights to Brussels on April 1, 2009.
On March 28, 2010, Royal Jordanian started direct flights to Madinah Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia. On March 23, Royal Jordanian ordered two A330-200s and one Embraer E175. Royal Jordanian also restarted flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 2, 2010.
In May 2011, Royal Jordanian announced that it would stop using its Airbus A310 planes by early 2012.
In June 2014, Royal Jordanian stopped flights to Mosul in Iraq because of safety concerns.
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner joined Royal Jordanian's fleet in September 2014. These planes replaced the Airbus A340-200s. The Dreamliners are used for flights to places like London, North America, and the Far East.
In May 2017, Stefan Pichler became the new CEO. He helped the airline become profitable again by the end of 2017. He also said the airline would aim for a single type of smaller plane in the future. In September 2020, Pichler left, and Saeed Samih Darwazah took over.
On January 17, 2025, the airline announced it would restart direct flights between Amman and Damascus on January 31, 2025. This was after a 13-year break.
How Royal Jordanian Works
Main Office
The main office of Royal Jordanian is in Amman, Jordan. A new building for the head office was finished in late 2011. Employees started working there on January 3, 2012.
Employees
Royal Jordanian has invested a lot in training its staff. As of 2015, Royal Jordanian had 4,394 employees.
Competition
Since 2002, Royal Jordanian has focused on flying more often to nearby countries. It wanted to be the "regional airline" of the Middle East. It added smaller routes that bigger airlines might not fly. This plan worked well for the airline. Its main competitors were Middle East Airlines and Egypt Air.
Since 2008, Royal Jordanian has faced more competition. Many new low-cost airlines like Air Arabia and flydubai have started flying. To keep its customers, Royal Jordanian has worked on making its services better, both on the plane and at the airport.
Places Royal Jordanian Flies To
Royal Jordanian flies to many places around the world. It also has agreements with other airlines to share flights. This means you can book a flight with Royal Jordanian but fly on another airline's plane.
Partner Airlines
Royal Jordanian shares flights with these airlines:
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Etihad Airways
- Gulf Air
- ITA Airways
- Malaysia Airlines
- Oman Air
- Qatar Airways
- TAROM
- Turkish Airlines
Royal Jordanian's Planes
Current Fleet
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As of July 2025, Royal Jordanian uses these types of planes:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 7 | — | 12 | 138 | 150 | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 2 | — | 20 | 142 | 162 | |
| Airbus A320neo | 7 | 13 | — | 180 | 180 | These planes are rented. |
| Airbus A321neo | — | TBA | ||||
| Boeing 787-8 | 7 | — | 24 | 246 | 270 | One plane (JY-BAH) has a special design for Petra. |
| Boeing 787-9 | — | 6 | TBA | |||
| Embraer E175 | 2 | — | 12 | 60 | 72 | |
| Embraer E195 | 1 | — | 12 | 92 | 104 | |
| Embraer E190-E2 | 4 | — | 12 | 82 | 94 | Deliveries started in late 2023. |
| Embraer E195-E2 | 4 | — | 12 | 110 | 122 | |
| Royal Jordanian Cargo fleet | ||||||
| Airbus A321-200/P2F | 1 | — | Cargo | This plane carries only goods, no passengers. | ||
| Total | 35 | 19 | ||||
Past Planes
Royal Jordanian has used many different types of planes over the years. Some of these include:
- Airbus A310-200 and Airbus A310-300
- Airbus A319-100
- Airbus A330-200
- Airbus A340-200
- Boeing 707-320C
- Boeing 720B
- Boeing 727-200
- Boeing 747-200
- Bombardier Q400
- Douglas DC-6
- Douglas DC-7
- Fokker F27 Friendship
- Fokker F28 Fellowship
- Handley Page Dart Herald
- Lockheed L-1011-500 Tristar
- Sud Aviation Caravelle 10B
- Vickers Viscount
Plane Designs
From 1963 to 1986, Royal Jordanian planes were white with red and gold stripes. In December 1986, when the name changed, the planes got a new look. They became charcoal grey with the same red and gold stripes. The tail had a golden crown with a red tip.
In January 2024, Royal Jordanian updated its plane design slightly. The new design includes the logo on the plane's belly. The first plane with this new look was an Embraer E2.
Special Plane Designs
Until 2009, Royal Jordanian planes usually had the same design. In February 2009, they announced a special design for a new A319 plane. This design showed that the airline was part of the Oneworld alliance. The plane was white with the normal Royal Jordanian colors on the tail and engines. It said "A member of Oneworld" on the front.
In October 2021, Royal Jordanian showed a special "Discover Petra" design on one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. A month later, in November 2021, an Airbus A321 was painted in an old-style "Alia" design. This plane's first flight with the new paint was to London Heathrow.
Services on Royal Jordanian Flights
Food and Drinks
Food and drinks on flights leaving Amman are provided by Dnata. If a flight is at least three hours long, hot meals are served. For shorter flights (less than one hour), like those to Tel Aviv, Cairo, Baghdad, Beirut, and Aqaba, snacks and drinks are offered.
In-flight Entertainment
Royal Jordanian's entertainment system is called "Sky Cinema".
- In Economy Class on Airbus and Boeing planes, passengers have their own screens. They can choose from movies, TV shows, music, and games.
- In Crown Class, passengers also have screens with a large selection of movies, TV shows, music, and games on Airbus and Boeing planes. On Embraer planes, Crown Class passengers get portable entertainment devices. These devices offer movies, short videos, music, and games.
Games are available in all classes on all flights. News from CNN is also available. On very short flights, the entertainment system offers games, CNN News, and a comedy channel. This is because the flights are too short for movies or full shows.
Seating
In Crown Class on Boeing 787s, the seats can turn into fully flat beds. On shorter and medium flights, Crown Class seats have a lot of legroom. In Economy Class, Embraer planes have 32 inches of space for your legs. Airbus planes have 34 inches of space. All Economy class seats also have a foot-rest.
Airport Lounges
Crown Class passengers can use special lounges at airports around the world. This includes lounges of other Oneworld member airlines. As of August 2008, Royal Jordanian has two lounges: one at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman and one at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba. The new lounge in Amman can hold over 340 passengers.
Frequent Flyer Program
Royal Club is Royal Jordanian's program for frequent flyers. Passengers earn miles based on their flights. Royal Club members can also earn miles when flying with other Oneworld airlines. Members with Silver, Gold, or Platinum cards can use Oneworld airport services. Gold and Platinum members also get access to airport lounges.
Aviation Occurrences
Royal Jordanian has had some aviation occurrences and hijackings in its history.
- On April 10, 1965, a Handley Page HPR-7 Herald plane crashed near Damascus, Syria. All 54 people on board died.
- On January 22, 1973, 176 people died when a Boeing 707 plane crashed while landing in Kano, Nigeria.
- On August 3, 1975, all 188 people on board died when a Boeing 707 plane hit a mountain while landing in Morocco.
- On March 14, 1979, 45 out of 64 people died when a Boeing 727 plane crashed while landing in Qatar.
- On June 11, 1985, a Boeing 727 plane was hijacked. After passengers were released, the plane was destroyed.
Since the airline changed its name to Royal Jordanian Airlines in 1986, there has been one fatal incident. On July 5, 2000, a hijacker was killed by a security agent on an Airbus A320 flight from Amman to Damascus.
See also
In Spanish: Royal Jordanian para niños
