Royal Jordanian is inaugurating its direct, regular service between Amman and Berlin, thus introducing a third route between Jordan and Germany.

RJ President/CEO Hussein Dabbas said that that the decision to resume service to Berlin is based on economic considerations:

there is growth in demand for travel between the Jordanian and German capitals due to the increase in the commercial activity and in exports, which increases demand for travel by businessmen and citizens of the two countries; In addition, there is an active movement of tourists from Germany to the Kingdom during normal, stable conditions.

Dabbas mentioned that the German capital is the 59th destination for RJ. Berlin is considered one of the most dynamic, major European capitals, and an attraction for Middle Eastern tourists.

Once airberlin joins the oneworld airline alliance, set for early 2012, RJ passengers will be able to continue their flights beyond Berlin on the European continent.

The all-new Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI) airport will be operative weeks after the German carrier becomes a member in the alliance. In mid-2012, airberlin is bound to move to the new airport and, as a consequence, RJ will move to the new airport as well. The new airport will eventually have capacity for 45 million passengers a year, and will be able to provide business travellers, tourists and companies the best connections, international flights, direct motorway access, and a railway station directly below the terminal.

It will also have 85 aircraft parking stands. The RJ president said the airline will operate to Berlin on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft with three weekly flights, departing from Amman on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

On Mondays, it departs at 7:40 am and arrives in Berlin at 11:10 am. It takes off from Berlin at 12 noon and lands in Amman at 17:15 pm. On Thursdays and Saturdays, the plane departs from Amman at 10:30 am and reaches Berlin at 14:00 pm.

It leaves Berlin at 14:45 pm and arrives in Amman at 19:45 pm. Royal Jordanian occupies a big share of the German, about 77% of the air transportation between the two countries, operating three weekly flights to Munich, which started in 2001, and daily flights to Frankfurt, which started in 1970.

According to Dabbas, 2010 saw a noticeable increase, of 15%, in travel on these two sectors, compared to 2009.

Dabbas pointed out that RJ is constantly reviewing its route network, in line with its policy of gradual expansion. Its direct destinations increase by about one or two new cities a year. In 2010, RJ added Madinah, in Saudi Arabia, and Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, to its destinations. New routes are under study for the possibility of being added in the future.

The company is operating a fleet of 32 modern aircraft that meet the needs of its regional, medium- and long-range routes. Last year, RJ added three newly manufactured aircraft: two Airbus A330s to serve the long- and medium-haul destinations and an Embraer 175 to cover the Middle East routes. Last April, a new Airbus A320 was introduced to the fleet, being the first of seven Airbus A320s and A321s that will replace six currently operating airliners of the same model during 2011 and 2012. Founded in the 13th century, Berlin has had an eventful history.

Excavations from 2008 suggest that the city may be even older than was previously assumed.

The city is located in northeastern Germany, on an 892-km2 area, and is one of Germany’s largest cities, with a population of 3.4 million people. Since the German reunification on October 3, 1990, Berlin has been one of the three city states, together with Hamburg and Bremen, among the present sixteen states of Germany. Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media and science.

Its economy primarily relies on the services sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, congress and convention venues. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport, and is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the EU.

Significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, optoelectronics, traffic engineering and renewable energy. The metropolis is home to 30 renowned colleges and universities, 170 museums, 51 theatres, in addition to numerous research institutes, sporting events, orchestras and personalities. Geographically embedded in the European plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city’s territory is made up of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.

Summers are warm, with average high temperatures of 22-25°C and lows of 12-14°C. Winters are cold, with average high temperatures of 4°C and lows of -2 to 0°C. Spring and autumn are generally chilly to mild. Berlin’s built-up area creates a microclimate, with heat stored by the city’s buildings.

Temperatures can be 4°C higher in the city than in the surrounding areas. Service to Berlin resumes 10 years after having been suspended, in 2000, when studies showed a weak economic feasibility of operating to Berlin, a service first started in 1992.