The number of passengers RJ transported in the last 11 months increased by 17% over the number during the same period last year. President/CEO Samer Majali said that the Royal Jordanian fleet carried 2,141,000 passengers during this period, against 1,8 million passengers in the corresponding months of 2006.

He pointed out that the seat factor increased from 66% last year to 71% this year, marking a 7% growth, which is an indication of the improvement in utilizing the available seats, and thus of an increase in the revenues much more than the increase of the costs.

Majali also said that departures registered an 18%increase, with the airline operating 27,332 departures throughout the last eleven months, whereas it operated 23,214 departures for the same period last year. The aircraft mileage also grew from 47 million kilometers to 51 million kilometers, that is by 7%.

Fleet utilization went up by 11%. It reached 10 hours per day in the period between January and November this year, against 9 hours per day for the same period of last year. This shows a large progress in deploying the operational resources of the company. Flying hours rose from 70,086 in 2006 to 79,888 this year, marking a 14% increase. The on-time performance increased by 2%, from 81% last year to 83% this year. The unprecedented increase in the number of passengers has come to support the financial position of the airline and cover the rise in operational costs resulting from the sharp hike in fuel prices during the year.

Majali stressed that RJ passengers started feeling the improvement of the company’s services in general, especially the food and beverage menus, and the entertainment services, and these are the main reasons for the positive results, aside from the new aircraft recently added to the fleet, which offer some of the highest standards of entertainment services and comfort. Each Crown and Economy Class passenger can now enjoy watching his/her favorite program on individual screens.

Majali said that the company will continue modernizing its long-, medium- and short-haul fleet. He also said that RJ’s membership in the oneworld airline alliance has broadened its route network from 54 to 700 international destinations served by the alliance’s members. Passengers can now fly from Amman to any of these destinations, with one stop only, on any of the oneworld member airlines. The oneworld alliance brings together some of the biggest names in the airline industry, among which American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.

Montreal and Budapest, said Majali, are two important destinations added to the RJ route network. The airline will also open a gateway for Jordan to the People’s Republic of China on January 22, 2008, when it will start operating a regular three-weekly service to Hong Kong, passing via Bangkok, in order to serve the active traffic between Jordan and China.
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