Royal Jordanian Airlines has converted two Embraer 195 jets from its original order into two Embraer 175s.In March 2006, Embraer signed an original purchase agreement with Royal Jordanian for seven Embraer 195s. The airline has already received four aircraft, three of which through a leasing agreement with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS). The fifth and last Embraer 195 will be delivered by the end of this year.

“Royal Jordanian’s decision to add the Embraer 175 to its fleet of E-Jets is a perfect example of the rightsizing and flexibility concept, which we have addressed with this aircraft family,” said Mauro Kern, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market. “By selecting a smaller model of the family for routes that require less capacity, Royal Jordanian will enjoy the benefits of high commonality with its Embraer 195, in terms of pilot and mechanic training and spare parts, while at the same time lowering its cost per trip.”

The Embraer 175s will be deployed on key domestic and regional routes, complementing Royal Jordanian’s fleet. The aircraft will be configured in a dual-class layout, with 72 seats - 12 first-class and 60 economy. The first delivery is scheduled for May 2008.

“We’ve been operating the Embraer 195 for almost one year and the passenger appeal of the aircraft has been tremendous,” said Samer Majali, Royal Jordanian President and CEO. “When we identified a need for an aircraft with 70-75 seats on several specific routes, it was clear to us that the Embraer 175 was the obvious choice, because it offers the same level of comfort with fewer seats than the Embraer 195.”

By selecting the Embraer 175, Royal Jordanian will become the first operator in the Middle East to fly this aircraft in regular scheduled service.
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