Jordan unveils plans for ageing aircraft legislation

Jordan Aviation targets US flights

Jordan Aviation (R5, Amman Queen Alia) has applied for exemption authority and a foreign air carrier permit (FACP) to begin charter and scheduled services to the United States.

"Jordan Aviation anticipates inaugurating scheduled service to the United States by April 1, 2021, but plans to begin charter-only service as soon as it receives all necessary governmental approvals," the airline said in its application to the US Department of Transportation (DOT).

While scant on details regarding its proposed network, the airline said it would carry both passengers and cargo, the latter comprising mostly personal protective equipment (PPE). It estimates that it would carry around 9,600 passengers and 1,560 tonnes of freight during the first year of services between Jordan and the US.

The privately-owned airline did not disclose which of its aircraft it plans to use for its forthcoming US operations. Its widebody fleet comprises two active A330-200s and two B767-200(ER)s in long-term storage. Its 40%-owned Egyptian subsidiary Alexandria Airlines (KHH, Cairo Int'l) operates a single B777-300, although it has...

DOT extends Oneworld JBA antitrust immunity to Aer Lingus

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has finalised its decision to include Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin Int'l) under Oneworld's umbrella of transatlantic antitrust immunity (ATI).

While both Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) and JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) filed comments to the tentative decision, issued on November 16, neither of the two airlines objected to Aer Lingus's application. Instead, they both called upon the DOT to continue monitoring slot commitments relating to the JBA, particularly at London Heathrow, to ensure free competition. Delta has also argued that JetBlue should not be treated as independent of the JBA for slot remedy purposes due to its marketing alliance with American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth).

The DOT said that it would address the two carriers' concerns once there is reason to do so. For now, it said that it had found no grounds to alter its original finding to extend immunity to Aer Lingus.

The DOT upheld its decision requiring members of the ATI to remove Royal...

US DOT tentatively adds Aer Lingus to Oneworld JV

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has tentatively allowed Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin Int'l) to join an already immunised transatlantic joint business agreement covering Oneworld member carriers American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, and OpenSkies.

The DOT gave the airlines six months from the finalisation of the order, expected after a two-week window for public comments, to address its concerns regarding certain provisions in the JBA agreement. Since Royal Jordanian (RJ, Amman Queen Alia) is a part of the approved JBA but does not, in practice, participate in it, the DOT requested that it be removed from the agreement. The American authority also ordered the airlines to remove a clause from their JBA requiring members to obtain consent before codesharing with third-party airlines.

"Given the issues raised in the pleadings concerning transatlantic competition and access at London Heathrow, the Department will not approve, or grant ATI to, alliance agreements that contain provisions that allow a party or parties to the agreements to foreclose actual or potential competition,"...

“Significant doubt” on Royal Jordanian going concern status