Royal Jordanian Stops Services To Three Routes

Royal Jordanian has announced that it will revamp its route network and stop services to Delhi, Mumbai and Lagos as part of its restructuring plan, it said in a statement.

The airline will stop operating its Mumbai service from September 10 while cancelling flights to Lagos and Delhi from October 10 and 31 respectively.

Royal Jordanian CEO and president Nasser Lozi said that lack of demand on these routes along with aggressive competition and increased operating costs led to the cancellation of services.

He said that the move comes at a time when Royal Jordanian is “facing instability in the region and high fuel prices”.

Squeezed by competition and regional unrest, the Amman-based airline has been cutting down its services to various destinations with the total number of routes dropping to 51 this year.

Royal Jordanian suspended flights to Alexandria, Colombo, Milan and Accra in April and May while it has not flown to Syrian cities Damascus and Aleppo for more than two years. In addition, its services to Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, Mosul and Tel Aviv were also disrupted due to tough operating conditions.

Lozi said that the halt of its services to Damascus and Aleppo along with the change in route of its operations between Amman and Beirut have dented its profits in 2012 and 2013. Royal Jordanian has continued to suffer financially in 2014 due to suspension of more routes, he added.

But despite its financial losses, he said that Royal Jordanian is looking to start services on new routes and is examining the potential of a number of domestic markets.

Lozi also said that the airline will receive five Boeing 787s this year with the first aircraft to be delivered in August. The new aircraft will gradually phase out Royal Jordanian’s current fleet of A340s and A330s.