Emirates to fly double-daily to Jordan

Emirates will fly double daily to Jordan from 1st October, providing greater access to one of the most popular tourism destinations in the Middle East.

Emirates currently flies to Amman with a combination of Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-300 and Airbus A330-200 aircraft, offering an exciting range of in-flight entertainment and the hospitality of highly trained international cabin crew.

The current 13 weekly flights to Amman will increase to 14 per week – an extra flight on Friday - from 1^st October.

“In Dubai, passengers can transfer through Emirates’ exclusive Terminal 3 onto flights to more than 120 destinations across the globe, many of which are served by the airline’s flagship Airbus A380, including Beijing, Shanghai and Sydney," said Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Gulf, Middle East and Iran. "In early 2013, Emirates’ A380 offering will be boosted by the world’s first purpose built A380 facility, which will be known as Concourse A.”

In 2010, total trade between the UAE and Jordan was reported to be over US$ 700 million, according to a 2011 study by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Tourism represents approximately 10% of Jordan’s GDP. The 14^th flight will also enable Emirates SkyCargo to facilitate more international trade opportunities for Jordan’s importers and exporters. The weekly capacity in the belly-hold of the aircraft serving the route will hit 200 tonnes in each direction, while businesses will also benefit from Emirates’ rapidly expanding network, with new trade lanes emerging with each additional destination, a trend which is set to continue as the 220 aircraft it has on order join its fleet.

Emirates SkyCargo connects exporters in Jordan to points throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the USA. The main commodities being exported include fresh consumables - such as fruits and vegetables - pharmaceuticals, mobile phones, clothing, machinery and aircraft parts. Goods being imported from destinations throughout the Far East, Australasia, West Asia and Europe include seafood, meat and general foodstuffs, as well as clothing and pharmaceuticals.

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Emirates is rapidly expanding its regional presence as fast as it is growing its international presence. Hot on the heels of frequency increases to neighbours like Kuwait and Iraq, Jordan too now become a focal point for Emirates path going forward.

“With Emirates extensive network to feed passengers from Jordan via Dubai, the airlines decision to go with double daily flights using widebody airplanes like the 777 will certainly pressurise Royal Jordanian Airlines in a big way, especially since they know they will struggle to compete for higher yield passengers.

Emirates will look to tap into the vibrant tourist market in Jordan which presently has more demand than capacity so an increase in flights will be a boom for customers.”