Royal Jordanian Plans Washington Flights, With Controversial Tease

It looks like Royal Jordanian has just revealed its next destination in the United States, or something…

Royal Jordanian hints at Amman to Washington route

On its official Instagram account, oneworld member Royal Jordanian has teased how it’s likely adding a new route to the United States, as flagged by @FlyingHighRyan. In the short video:

• There’s first a red hat with the text “He is back!” written on it
• Then there’s a message saying “And we’re taking you right to the middle of the action!”
• Next, there’s a message saying “Fly Non-Stop to Washington D.C.”
• The final page says “Stay tuned!”

Okay, I appreciate when airlines add teaser videos about adding new routes, like what United has frequently done in the past. However, this is almost less of a teaser and more of an announcement, since the airline is literally saying you’ll be able to fly nonstop to Washington, so there’s not much to guess here.

Royal Jordanian’s current destinations in North America include Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Montreal (YUL), New York (JFK), and Toronto (YYZ). All of those are cities with large Middle Eastern populations, with Chicago and New York having the benefit of also being oneworld hubs, thanks to partner American Airlines.

The Washington to Amman route was served by United for some time, though the route has been suspended. It remains to be seen if there’s enough room in the market for both carriers. In terms of connections, obviously United has the advantage in Washington, while Royal Jordanian has the advantage in Amman.

This isn’t the first time that Royal Jordanian has gotten controversial with its marketing, and has involved politics.

In November 2016 (when Trump was running against Clinton), the airline had a fare sale to the United States, marketing the opportunity to “travel to the US while you’re still allowed to.”

Then in February 2017, when Trump instituted a travel ban for those from seven Muslim-majority countries, the airline had a “Bon Voyage” fare sale, with the “Bon” being written over the word “Ban.”

Suffice it to say that the airline’s tone is a bit different this time around.

Royal Jordanian is poised for major growth

In 2023, Royal Jordanian announced its impressive fleet renewal and expansion plans. Not only is the airline replacing many of its existing aircraft, but the fleet size will also grow considerably. This order consists of Airbus A320neos, Boeing 787-9s, and Embraer E190-Es.

Currently Royal Jordanian’s long haul fleet is comprised of just seven Boeing 787-8s. While the airline plans to continue flying those, it also has six Boeing 787-9s on order. That will basically double the carrier’s wide body capacity, given that the 787-9s are larger than the 787-8s.

The first 787-9s are expected to join Royal Jordanian’s fleet in 2025, so I imagine that will enable the carrier to add more long haul destinations, which haven’t been possible until now. Presumably the larger 787-9 will be placed onto one of the existing services, while the smaller 787-8 will fly to Washington.

Perhaps this is also why the Washington route isn’t being officially announced just yet, since it’s reliant on being able to take delivery of new jets. And I don’t know if anyone heard, but actually taking delivery of new Boeing jets isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. 😉

Bottom line

Royal Jordanian appears to be planning on adding nonstop flights between Amman and Washington. The airline hasn’t announced an exact schedule yet, but the teaser seems pretty clear.

What do you make of Royal Jordanian launching Washington flights?