The airline will also expand its fleet from just shy of 30 aircraft today to about 45 within the next two years. Ten Embraer E195-E2s will replace E1s, while 20 Airbus A320neos will replace older A320ceos. Royal Jordanian is also expanding its Boeing 787 fleet with new -9s, with the aim of increasing operations into North America and Canada “and also potentially open up China to Jordan in addition to other Far Eastern routes,” Majali said. For every two new aircraft that arrive in the fleet over the next few years, one older aircraft will leave, he added.

Majali noted the uncertainty related to the Israel-Gaza war since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. “Politically it is very difficult. Jordan is very stable, but people are very apprehensive. It’s difficult to split Jordan’s quietness from what else is happening in the region,” he said.

“Jordan has been an oasis of relative stability in a very difficult region. Royal Jordanian is a natural hub. It’s not huge volumes of passengers, but high-frequency operations with relatively good yields allow this concept to work,” Majali said.

The carrier is pursuing a strategy of building its network to primary and secondary destinations in the Levant region, allowing for passengers to connect on to destinations around the world.

The airline’s development goes hand-in-hand with economic development in Jordan. But fuel costs are an ongoing challenge. “Because we’re a country that doesn’t produce oil, we have some of the most expensive aviation fuel,” Majali said, noting that buying fuel in Jordan's capital Amman was 15% more expensive than anywhere that the airline flies to worldwide.