RJ organizes a promotional trip to Paphos for journalists and travel agents
The seven new jets will join the airline to boost its regional network - Majali
His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Al-Hussein patronized the inauguration of the first of seven EMBRAER 195 airliners joining RJ as a result of a contract signed with the Brazilian firm Embraer in March 2006.
Prince Faisal expressed appreciation for the new class of aircraft which will serve the airline's regional network with a higher frequency of flights and more comfort and efficiency. He also praised the progress and fleet modernization RJ witnessed after it concluded introducing six newly-manufactured Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft last week. Chairman of RJ's board of directors, Nasser Lozi, and RJ President/CEO Samer Majali were also present.
Royal Jordanian organized a special flight to Paphos, Cyprus on this occasion. The aircraft carried a number of personalities, RJ board members, media representatives and travel agents.
President/CEO Samer Majali said the other six regional jets will join the RJ fleet over the next two years. He said: "The airline will operate this aircraft, which was delivered on Dec. 1, 2006, along with the remaining six, on the short- and medium-haul routes in the Middle East, the Arab Gulf, North Africa and Europe. This will thus serve RJ's vision, launched at the beginning of this year, that it be 'the airline of choice connecting Jordan and the Levant with the world'."
He stressed that the airline's vision is to develop Amman into a regional hub by enhancing the daily frequency of flights on the short- and medium-haul routes, such as Beirut, Damascus, Istanbul, Athens, Larnaca, etc., and by adding new points in the region. For this end, using this type of aircraft of high operational economics, Royal Jordanian will be able to boost its operations regionally. The move will serve Royal Jordanian which is readying to officially join the oneworld airline alliance during March 2007, which will expand its operations in various points in the world.
RJ president said that RJ's selection of this class of aircraft came after conducting studies on its specifications and the purpose of operating it. EMBRAER 195 is the largest, with most seating capacity, of the four types of airliners Embraer manufactures. It is configured to carry 100 passengers in a two-class layout, with 12 seats in Crown Class and 88 seats in the economy.
"The agreement with Embraer," said Majali, "involves purchasing four airliners and leasing three others operationally through GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS). Embraer airplanes enjoy several specifications that tally with operating on short- and medium-haul routes at a reasonable cost. The EMBRAER 195s will offer our passengers a high level of comfort and service."
Majali pointed out that the arrival of the first of these aircraft comes one week after RJ concluded its medium-haul fleet modernization drive. RJ introduced six Airbus A320s and A321s, which have distinguished quality technical and services specifications for seats, seat pitch, music, games and means of passenger entertainment, and each passenger can now enjoy watching his/her favorite program on a special screen installed on every Crown and Economy class seat. "RJ fleet will thus count 30 modern aircraft by the mid-2008," said Majali.
EMBRAER 195 is the latest model of the E-Jet family. The family of the commercial jet comprises EMBRAER 170, EMBRAER 175, EMBRAER 190 and EMBRAER 195. A number of international and Arab airlines use the E-Jets: Saudi Arabia Airlines operates 15 EMBRAER 170s, US Airways operates 85 Embraer aircraft, Jet Blue 100 aircraft, in addition to the Embraer airliners operating in the fleet of huge air carriers, among which are Air Canada and Swiss.
Situated in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Embraer is a 36-year-old world leading manufacturer of commercial jets, and among Brazil's leading exporting companies. It has a total workforce of around 17,000 people and its firm order backlog totaled $10.4 billion in Dec. 31, 2005.
The Embraer aircraft is assembled in Brazil, but most of its components are developed and produced by renowned international companies; the engines are produced by the American General Electric, the wings by the Japanese Kawasaki and the fuselage sections by the French Latecoere.
-Ends-
Rana Sam'an
Public Relations Dept.
Royal Jordanian Airline
PO Box 302, Amman,
Jordan
Telephone: +962 6 5202068
Fax: +962 6 5684451
Email: rana.saman@rj.com
Online: www.rj.com
© Press Release 2006
