National carrier Royal Jordanian (RJ) carried 1.13 million passengers in the first four months of this year - 45,000 passengers more than the same period in 2016 - marking an increase of 5 per cent.

Due to the remarkable increase in passenger numbers, the seat factor also went up from 64 per cent in the January-April 2016 period to 70 per cent over the same period in 2017, marking a 10 per cent increase.

Moreover, the load factor of the uplifted cargo increased by 11 per cent on its freighters and passenger aircraft.

Obeidat attributed the growth in passenger numbers to the relentless efforts exerted by RJ employees to offer top ground and air services on all RJ routes, which are serviced by a young fleet of 25 modern aircraft, seven of which recently introduced Boeing 787s, dedicated to serve the long- and medium-range destinations.

Between January and April this year, the on-time performance went up to 81.4 per cent from 77 per cent last year.

Since the end of last year, the commercial sector has run several marketing campaigns and promotions that greatly influenced the public all over the world. The promotional initiatives were run in parallel with the airline’s efforts to improve the RJ service and product, which it offers for reasonable prices. A large number of RJ passengers are tourists visiting Jordan.

Obeidat expressed gratitude and appreciation to all RJ employees for the positive turnaround in the operational results and expressed optimism in the airline's ability to attain more growth, in terms of passenger and cargo numbers, as well as seat factor, in spite of the challenges and high competition it faces in the region.

He pointed out that the upcoming summer season, along with Hajj and Umrah flights, are sure to maintain busy traffic on all RJ’s sectors, and this will be reflected in positive financial results at the end of the year. - TradeArabia News Service