Royal Jordanian meets lessors, secures funding

Royal Jordanian seeks $282mn state aid as fleet choice nears

Royal Jordanian (RJ, Amman Queen Alia) will need JOD200 million dinars (USD282 million) in state funding during 2022 or it risks collapse, its chief executive warned in separate interviews last week as it struggles to replace revenue lost during the pandemic and prepares to update its fleet.

The carrier has appealed for an initial injection of JOD100 million (USD141 million) to see it through the first half of the year, plus a similar amount later on, CEO Samer Majali told Bloomberg News on December 24. He had told Reuters two days previously that “every single airline got assistance from their governments except us” but did not mention a specific required sum.

The Jordanian government, its largest shareholder, finalised in summer 2021 the disbursement of the second half of a JOD50 million (USD70.6 million) injection - but this aid was first announced in 2018, long before the pandemic. The initial JOD25 million (USD35.3 million) was provided in late 2020.

Royal Jordanian understands the limited state resources that are available, Majali told Bloomberg, but the...

Jordan's Fly Aqaba lands Saudi investor

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) has at last found a taker for its Fly Aqaba (Aqaba) project after Saudi investors agreed to help fund the start-up.

An ASEZA statement said it has a 20% stake in Fly Aqaba which has a registered capital of JOD1 million dinars (USD1.41 million) and a working capital of USD20 million. Saudi national Nasser Al-Olayani, who was also chairman of Malaysia's flyGlobal Charter (FGG, Kuala Lumpur Int'l), has been appointed Fly Aqaba's board chairman. It is uncertain who the other Jordanian shareholders in the start-up are given Jordanian law requires at least 51% of an airline's shares to be in the hands of Jordanian nationals and/or entities who must also exercise effective control over the airline.

ASEZA board chairman Nayef Bakheet said that once the necessary permits have been obtained from the Jordan Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (JCARC), Fly Aqaba, in its initial phase, will focus on connecting its Aqaba base with European as well as Gulf and other Arab countries. Two unspecified aircraft will be...

Royal Jordanian to issue narrowbody RFP; moots A321 P2Fs

Oman Air to seek Oneworld membership

Oman Air (WY, Muscat) has announced plans to join the Oneworld alliance and has approached Qatar Airways to sponsor its application, Reuters has reported.

"As the industry recovers from COVID, airline alliances are going to be more important than ever. This will provide us with excellent global connectivity, a seamless travel experience and more valuable loyalty offerings for our guests," the Omani state-owned carrier said.

Akbar al Baker, the Chief Executive of Qatar Airways Group, has also held the post of the Chairman of Oneworld since May 2021.

Neither Oman Air nor Oneworld disclosed any tentative accession timeline.

Oneworld currently has 14 full airline members but including all subsidiaries and affiliates, its membership numbers 37 carriers. Besides Qatar Airways, other Middle Eastern and Northern African members include Royal Jordanian and Royal Air Maroc (which joined the alliance in early 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 crisis). The last carrier to join Oneworld was Alaska Airlines, which became a member on March 31, 2021. The ch-aviation capacities...