Royal Jordanian has ordered eight Embraer E2 regional aircraft, with six to be dry-leased from Azorra.
DALLAS — Arab carrier Royal Jordanian (RJ) has announced an order for eight units of the Embraer E2 new generation of regional aircraft for the expansion and modernization of its short-haul fleet. First deliveries are expected to start in the last quarter of 2023.
The Jordanian flag carrier operates a shy fleet of four Embraer airplanes; two ERJ-175 and two ERJ-195. These units have an average age of around 15 years and will be replaced by the brand new aircraft ordered, which will be divided into four E-190 E2 and another four E-195 E2 aircraft.
Samer Majali, CEO of RJ, said: "RJ has been operating Embraer aircraft for 15 years, and the E2 reduces the investment cost of pilot training and spare parts provisioning significantly. The aircraft also provides 25% fuel savings compared to current aircraft, resulting in operating cost savings as well as significant carbon emissions reductions supporting the airline’s environmental strategy and targets."
Particularly, this order has been placed in collaboration with the dry lease aircraft lessor Azorra, which has been selected to finance six of the total eight airplanes, while the other two will be delivered directly from the Brazilian manufacturer.
Jordan is a cultural center in the Middle East, so the Embraer E-Jet family will play a significant role in the airline's operations as an economical and small airplane that can carry from 70 to 100 passengers short distances and with quick turnarounds.
The four units active with Royal Jordanian fly regularly scheduled routes from the main hub, Amman (AMM) to key capital cities of neighboring and close countries in the region, such as Cairo (CAI), Tel Aviv (TLV), Kuwait (KWI) and Istanbul (IST).
The daily aircraft utilization of the Embraer aircraft in RJ's fleet is among the highest, operating between five and eight flights a day.
Royal Jordanian is the main carrier serving flights from Jordan to the outside world. Since its foundation in December 1963, RJ has served as a great expansion and influence tool for the country not only regionally to neighboring Middle-eastern countries but also on an intercontinental level since the 1980s.
Today, the airline operates a considerable route network including 50 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, where apart from the E-Jets, Airbus and Boeing are the two other large manufacturers that form the current fleet of aircraft.
Since August 2014, Rojal Jordanian took delivery of seven Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, replacing its aging fleet of Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft, which today are destined to operate long-haul routes to U.S. destinations such as New York (JFK) or Chicago (ORD), as well as high-demand flights to Istanbul (IST), Jeddah (JED) or London (LHR), among others.
Featured image: Embraer
https://airwaysmag.com/royal-jordanian-mou-10-e2-jets/
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