Royal Jordanian (RJ, Amman Queen Alia) has outlined its turnaround plan following board approval on October 30, 2017. The five-year plan will include major initiatives that are expected to enhance unit revenues by 7% and lower unit costs by 6%.

The Jordanian carrier's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stefan Pichler told a media conference in Amman earlier this week that despite intense competition in both the Mediterreanean and the Middle East and Gulf, Royal Jordanian was aiming to become the the top network carrier in the Levant.

To that end, the carrier's revised strategy focusses on three key aspects, foremost among which is sustainable profitability that attracts capital markets and aims to increase operating margins in the coming five years. The second aspect of the plan focuses on delivering a more consistent customer experience across all touch points while the third aspect of the plan will focus on manpower and human resource development. To that end, the carrier will seek to become the Employer of Choice, attracting and retaining talented and skilled employees while providing the best training and career planning, while managing and rewarding performance.

In terms of changes to its operations, Royal Jordanian will proceed with a previously announced fleet consolidation review aimed at reducing maintenance, spare parts procurement, and training costs. To that end, it will look at operating a single brand of aircraft for its narrowbody fleet - at present, it employs four A319-100s, seven A320-200s, and two A321-200s as well as three E175s and two E195s. Pichler noted that today’s fleet of 26 aircraft will grow gradually to reach 30 by 2021; seven of which will include its current fleet of B787-8s.

As part of its plan to drive up unit revenue potential, the carrier will also add more Economy Class seats to its narrow-body fleet while cutting down on the number of premium class seating.

In terms of network changes, the CEO added that Royal Jordanian will open new international routes over the coming five years to destinations including Washington Dulles, Copenhagen Kastrup, and Stockholm Arlanda. In addition, suspended services to war-torn cities such as Damascus (Syria), Mosul (Iraq), Sana (Yemen), Aden (Yemen), and Benghazi (Libya) will all be resumed once possible.

Although the bulk of Royal Jordanian's efforts will focus on enhancing connectivity through its hub at Amman Queen Alia, as the country's national carrier, it will also seek to boost its presence in Aqaba, a port city along Jordan's Red Sea coastline. There, Royal Jordanian will cooperate with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and the local tourism entities, with the aim of increasing traffic to the coastal city from several countries around the world.