If there is one word to describe Royal Jordanian, it would be "resilient". Since its inception in 1963, the airline has weathered multiple conflicts, geopolitical upheavals and still managed to survive and thrive.
An air of optimism was displayed by the CEO Mr. Samer Majali on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of Royal Jordanian as he announced a new slogan for 2022 "Ahead Together", the expansion of the network from 35 to 60 destinations and the fleet from 24 to 41 aircraft over the coming 5 years.
This has brought fond memories. The airline was, for me and I am sure for so many others, the place where we learnt many lessons. Where we experienced successes and failures and where we were allowed to grow and innovate. I remember the introduction of the A310 fleet in less than a year from contract signature to first delivery in March 1987. Or going from a single narrow body hangar in Amman International Airport (Marka) to a three (3) widebody bays hangar in Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) which allowed for the expansion of maintenance capability from narrow body C Checks to Heavy Maintenance (D Checks) of the B707, B727, L1011 and later fleets.
The airline has suffered during the pandemic due to lockdowns and airport closures with minimal operations. But more importantly the lack of government support to the local airlines in Jordan. Incentive packages were provided to foreign LCCs (Ryan Air, Easy Jet and Wizz Air) to operate flights to Jordan but denied to local carriers.
Royal Jordanian as always will bounce back and thrive and will continue to be a Jordanian success story.