Royal Jordanian Renewing & Expanding Fleet

Amman-based oneworld member Royal Jordanian is in the process of renewing and expanding its fleet. In October 2022, the airline placed an aircraft order with Airbus, then in May 2023 the airline placed an aircraft order with Embraer, and now the airline has placed an aircraft order with Boeing.

This is part of Royal Jordanian’s plan to expand its fleet from 27 to 40+ aircraft over the next five years, so that’s some significant growth. Let’s go over the details.

Royal Jordanian’s current fleet

For context, Royal Jordanian currently has a fleet of 27 passenger aircraft, including:

• Five Airbus A319s, which are an average of ~16 years old
• Nine Airbus A320s, which are an average of ~12 years old
• Two Airbus A321s, which are an average of ~11 years old
• Seven Boeing 787-8s, which are an average of ~8 years old
• Two Embraer E175s, which are an average of ~15 years old
• Two Embraer E195s, which are an average of ~16 years old

Six different types of aircraft across a fleet of just over two dozen planes is quite some variety. Then again, there is some fleet commonality between the various Airbus jets and the two types of Embraer jets, so for the purposes of crew training, there are only three fleet types.

When all is said and done, the airline has an average fleet age of around 13 years. While that’s hardly old, it’s a good time to start thinking about fleet renewal, since orders are often made years in advance.

Royal Jordanian orders 20 Airbus A320neos

Royal Jordanian has placed an order for 20 Airbus A320neos. This is the updated version of the Airbus A320, featuring improved fuel efficiency and a quieter cabin.

These 20 planes will be replacing the 13 Airbus A320-family aircraft that Royal Jordanian currently flies, meaning that the airline will be expanding its fleet quite a bit. Furthermore, there’s also going to be a lot more fleet consistency, since the airline will exclusively fly A320neos, rather than a mix of A319s, A320s, and A321s.

While the exact delivery timeline remains to be seen, it’s expected that these planes will feature Wi-Fi, seatback entertainment, and more. Furthermore, at least some of the A320neos will feature flat beds.

Keep in mind that Royal Jordanian uses its Airbus fleet for many routes to Europe, which are considered “premium,” so that explains the flat beds. It sure would be nice if Royal Jordanian just went for full consistency, and installed flat beds on all A320neos (that can be done pretty efficiently with Collins Aerospace Diamond seats, for example).

Royal Jordanian orders eight Embraer E190-E2s

Royal Jordanian has placed an order for eight Embraer aircraft, including four E190-E2 and four E195-E2. These jets will be used to replace the carrier’s four current Embraer aircraft, including the E175 and E195.

The airline is primarily planning on using these planes for short haul flights, within two hours of Amman. Royal Jordanian will be able to significantly increase capacity, given that the airline is going from four to eight regional jets.

Royal Jordanian plans to equip E195-E2s with 120 seats, including 12 business class seats and 108 economy class seats. Meanwhile the E190-E2s will be equipped with 92 seats, including 12 business class seats and 80 economy class seats.

Embraer’s E2 jet is incredibly fuel efficient and long range, though the range won’t even be needed here, as the plane will only be used on short haul routes. I was curious to see if Royal Jordanian would choose the Airbus A220 or Embraer E2, so it’s interesting to see the airline go with the E2 (since so many airlines go with the A220).

These planes will join Royal Jordanian’s fleet in the coming months (by early 2024 at the latest), so these deliveries are just around the corner. Perhaps the short delivery window was one of the things that caused Royal Jordanian to pick these planes.

Royal Jordanian orders six Boeing 787-9s

Royal Jordanian has placed an order for six Boeing 787-9 aircraft. These jets will complement the carrier’s current fleet of seven Boeing 787-8s. The timeline for these deliveries hasn’t yet been announced, but this is a major development, as it will allow the company to roughly double its long haul capacity, and it will also be Royal Jordanian’s biggest jet.

Hopefully Royal Jordanian installs a new business class product on these jets, as the current product is quite outdated. It’s also believed that Royal Jordanian will update its existing 787-8s with new cabins, to keep them in service for as long as possible.

Bottom line

Royal Jordanian will be refreshing and expanding its fleet, which is pretty exciting. The airline will acquire 20 Airbus A320neos, which will replace 13 existing A319s, A320s, and A321s. On top of that, the airline will acquire eight Embraer E190-E2s and E195-E2s, which will replace four existing E175s and E195s. Lastly, the airline will acquire six Boeing 787-9s, which will complement the seven existing 787-8s.

This is an exciting development, as Jordan has great geography for connectivity in the Middle East. I just wish Royal Jordanian had a bit more competitive of a long haul business class product. Hopefully that changes soon, with these new orders.

I also have to give Royal Jordanian credit for how cohesive this order is. I don’t remember the last time we saw an airline order jets from three different aircraft manufacturers in such a short period of time, with plans to more or less replace the entire existing fleet (minus the 787s).

What do you make of Royal Jordanian’s fleet renewal?