Acting President/CEO Captain Haitham Misto: RJ is a long-standing airline that has all the makings for success; we are determined to see it soar to a brighter future.
AMMAN – December 15 marks the 51st anniversary of the establishment of Royal Jordanian Airlines. The initially called Alia operated its first flight in 1963 from Amman to Beirut, launching the operations of the national carrier of Jordan. It has since been an ambassador of goodwill and friendship to other cultures, and a bridge that enhances tourism and trade with the world.
Acting President/CEO Captain Haitham Misto expressed gratefulness for the Hashemite support the company has been receiving since its inception by His Majesty King Hussein. This royal backing has played a key role in the progress witnessed by the airline and boosted its competitiveness at regional and international levels.
Misto also expressed appreciation for His Majesty King Abdullah’s support over the years. The latest Royal gesture was to patronize the grand ceremony RJ held on the occasion of its golden jubilee, which was an honor to all RJ employees and a token of appreciation of their unremitting efforts in serving not only the airline but also Jordan as a whole.
Royal support since RJ’s inception.
Misto highlighted the letter His Majesty wrote during his visit to RJ headquarters, which came half a century after the Royal decree issued by His Majesty King Hussein to found Alia. The two letters mirrored the unwavering Hashemite support to the company and the strategic importance it has for Jordan.
Captain Misto said that over its five-decade history, the airline attained numerous achievements, most prominent among which modernizing the fleet and upgrading the in-flight and ground services. It also strived to offer the latest, and best, in air transport industry services – commercial, IT, engineering and maintenance – attaining international recognition after becoming a member of oneworld alliance in 2007, joining big names in the airline business.
He added that the remarkable progress of the airline since its establishment is made all the more obvious when comparing the operational results of 1964 to those expected at the end of 2014: the number of carried passengers increased from 87,000 in 1964 to more than 3.1 million in 2014, and the number of yearly flights from 4,193 to 39,000.
Upon inception, RJ used to operate two aircraft, a Handley Page Dart Herald and a DC7, flying to three destinations; now the fleet counts 29 modern aircraft flying to 52 cities spread over four continents.
According to Captain Misto, revenues increased from JD1 million at the end of 1964 to this year’s expected JD749 million. This directly reflects an increase of the employee productivity from JD4,000 in 1964 to JD159,000 in 2014.
The 1960’s Caravelle and today’s Dreamliner.
The number of RJ employees increased from 250 in 1964 to 4,700 nowadays. They are highly qualified and experienced in the field of aviation.
Misto stressed that RJ has played a pioneering role in the air transport industry, locally and regionally, and has become a hub for training and a source of manpower for many local, Arab and international carriers.
He focused on the airline’s determination to take a number of measures that aim at improving the overall performance and increase efficiency and productivity, eventually leading to profitability. He added that this will help develop and overcome the challenges it faces, as it has all ingredients for success and the ability to move to a brighter future. RJ will keep on improving its services, facilitate travel procedures and develop employees’ skills, through training them in the best customer service standards, in addition to reinforcing technology within the systems, in harmony with the international airlines.
He said that RJ will step into 2015 operating a new, advanced generation of the 787s; its fleet also has modern Airbus and Embraer aircraft. Today’s RJ fleet age averages five years, putting the airline on par with international carriers in offering top notch services.
Captain Misto added that introducing the 787 to the fleet is in line with the strategic plan to modernize the long-haul fleet. The assimilation of these aircraft is concomitant with the phasing out of the Airbus 340 and part of the Airbus 330 aircraft. Royal Jordanian will introduce the rest of the ordered new Dreamliners in 2016 and the following few years, in order to meet its operational needs.
In the area of corporate social responsibility, Captain Misto said that since its establishment, the RJ’s mission has been to consolidate the concept of social interaction and the roles of the public and private sectors to serve different categories of the society. This is embodied in RJ’s support for charities and development institutions, and for the sport, artistic and educational activities.
The official Royal Jordanian website, rj.com, offers its customers different services, helping ease travel procedures, which can be dealt with from the comfort of one’s home. Passengers can book flights and purchase tickets using credit cards, print boarding passes electronically, and enjoy many other facilities and services they can finalize easily through the website.
Moreover, the social media fan pages of the company are active tools for answering the public inquiries.
Photo caption: The RJ uniform over the five decades.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
