4th Airbus 321 joins RJ fleet

President/CEO Samer Majali, who arrived in Amman onboard the new aircraft from Airbus manufactures in Hamburg, Germany, said the aircraft is the fourth of six airplanes that are slated to join the RJ fleet, replacing the previous aircraft. The remaining two airplanes, Airbus 321 and Airbus 320, he said, will join the fleet within the next few months.

The new Airbus aircraft, said Majali, like the preceding ones, have distinguished quality technical and services specifications for seats, music, games, and means of passenger entertainment. Besides the various other services, each passenger can now enjoy watching his/her favorite program on a special screen installed on every business and economy seat.

The airplane was painted the new color scheme designed for the RJ aircraft fleet. RJ is keen on providing optimal passenger convenience aboard this plane which seats 167 passengers: 20 on Crown class, and 147 on economy.

Royal Jordanian selected V2500-powered International Aero Engines (IAE) to be installed on its six new Airbus aircraft. IAE are among the most advanced and powerful engines internationally. The high technical performance of the engines, their low overall cost of ownership and their lower fuel consumption will play a considerable role in the current renewal program and services the airline offers its passengers.

"Royal Jordanian designated names of Jordanian cities on its new aircraft with the intention of promoting the cities in the various countries around the world to which the aircraft fly in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa," said Majali. The latest, Salt, was preceded by Amman, Aqaba and Irbid aircraft. Karak and Zarqa will join the fleet later this year.

Royal Jordanian's fleet now counts 24 Airbus aircraft - A340, A310, A320, A321 - in addition to Dash 3, Dash 4 and Fokker 28 aircraft. The airline's fleet will reach around 30 aircraft in the coming three years.

On March 22, 2006, Royal Jordanian signed a contract with Embraer for the acquisition of seven newly manufactured EMBRAER 195 aircraft to operate on short- and medium-haul routes in the Middle East, the Arab Gulf, North Africa and Europe. The EMBRAER 195 is configured to carry 100 passengers in a two-class layout, thus helping achieve the company's vision, recently launched, that it be the airline of choice connecting Jordan and the Levant with the world. It will boost air transport between Amman and Arab and regional cities by increasing the frequency of the daily flights to these cities and enhancing the route network in this busy region.