Royal Jordanian (RJ) intends to introduce 7 new Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft to replace 6 Airbus currently operating in its fleet.
The first delivery is scheduled for April 2011, and the others will follow in 2012.
RJ's President & CEO Hussein Dabbas pointed out that the new aircraft gives the company the flexibility to easily tailor its fleet to the needs of the market, serving the short and medium range routes.
Dabbas said that the replacement consists of 4 Airbus A320s and 2 Airbus A321s, plus an additional A320. According to him, the 6 aircrafts that will leave the airline are not old, as each has 6 years of operations. However, RJ strives to provide better services to passengers on board its new aircrafts which enjoy high-quality specifications and an advanced in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, including a special screen fitted to each seat with efficient technical features. The new aircrafts will also save the airline maintenance and operational costs, he added.
Last year, Royal Jordanian concluded its short and medium-range fleet modernisation program by introducing 19 newly manufactured aircrafts; 12 are from the Airbus 320 family and 7 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, 2 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.