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Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ), the national flag carrier of Jordan, is a prominent Middle Eastern airline celebrated for its Jordanian hospitality, strategic hub at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) in Amman, and commitment to connecting Jordan with the world. Headquartered in Amman, RJ operates as a member of the Oneworld alliance, offering a blend of modern innovation and cultural heritage. Below is a comprehensive overview of RJ’s history, operations, fleet, services, challenges, and future outlook.
Royal Jordanian was established on December 9, 1963, by a Royal Decree from His late Majesty King Hussein, under the name Alia – Jordanian Airlines, in honor of his eldest daughter, Princess Alia bint Al Hussein (born 1956), not Queen Alia as commonly misattributed. Operations began on December 15, 1963, with three aircraft serving Kuwait, Beirut, and Cairo. King Hussein envisioned RJ as “an ambassador of goodwill” and a bridge for cultural, trade, and technological exchange, a mission that continues under the guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah II.
In 1965, RJ expanded beyond the Middle East, adding Rome, followed by Nicosia, Benghazi, Dhahran, and Doha in 1968. The 1970s saw routes to Bahrain, Dubai, Muscat, Rabat, Geneva, Amsterdam, Baghdad, Bangkok, Vienna, Damascus, and New York, with the introduction of Boeing 707s and 747s. In 1979, RJ became a founding member of the Arab Airlines Technical Consortium. The 1980s brought Airbus A310s and A320s, with new destinations like Chicago, Los Angeles, Singapore, Riyadh, and Moscow. In 1986, Alia rebranded to Royal Jordanian Airlines.
The 1990s marked further growth, with routes to Toronto, Colombo, Jakarta, Berlin, Mumbai, Milan, and Tel Aviv, alongside technological advancements like the Gabriel Automated Ticket System (GATS) and Galileo CRS adoption. RJ’s first female pilot flew during this decade. In 2001, RJ restructured as a public shareholding company, Alia – The Royal Jordanian Airlines Company, wholly owned by the Jordanian government via RJI, privatizing non-core services like duty-free shops.
RJ joined the Oneworld alliance on April 1, 2007, becoming the first Arab carrier in a global alliance, enhancing connectivity with partners like American Airlines, British Airways, and Qatar Airways. In 2007, RJ celebrated 30 years of nonstop Amman–New York service and won the Airline Strategy Award for technology. The airline introduced cargo flights to Damascus and launched services to Budapest, Hong Kong, and Kyiv in 2008.
Post-COVID, RJ restructured its network in 2022, focusing on tourism by collaborating with tour operators and adding European routes like Lyon, Milan, Stockholm, Düsseldorf, and Brussels. In January 2025, RJ resumed Amman–Damascus flights after a 13-year hiatus, operating four weekly flights, with daily services planned for April.
As of July 2024, Royal Jordanian operates a fleet of 30 aircraft, including Airbus A319s, A320s, A320neos, A321s, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, and Embraer E175s/E195-E2s, with an average age of approximately 12 years. In 2025, RJ took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo (JY-RAD) from Avolon, the first of 20 A320neo family aircraft on order. RJ ordered eight Embraer E2 jets in 2023, with six dry-leased from Azorra, and introduced an A321 freighter for cargo charters, launching its first flight to Algeria in July 2024.
RJ serves 51 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, operating over 500 weekly flights and 110 daily departures from its hub at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM). Popular routes include Amman–Istanbul (915 daily flights), Amman–Cairo, and Amman–Doha. New U.S. routes are planned, with Washington, D.C. (IAD) confirmed for 2025, and potential services to Dallas (DFW) in 2025, Miami (MIA) in 2026, and Los Angeles (LAX) in 2028. In 2025, RJ increased UK capacity, with up to seven weekly flights to London Stansted and five to Manchester during peak summer.
RJ’s subsidiary, Royal Wings, operates an Airbus A320-212 for charter and scheduled flights to Egypt, Cyprus, and Israel from Amman Civil Airport (Marka). RJ holds stakes in Jordan Airline Training and Simulation (JATS, 20%), Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Limited (JorAMCo, 20%), Alpha (flight catering, 20%), and Royal Jordanian Air Academy (6%). Codeshare agreements with 15 airlines, including Oneworld members and non-alliance carriers like Aeroflot and Malaysia Airlines, enhance connectivity.