Royal Jordanian has taken delivery of its first two Embraer E195-E2 regional jets, in a ceremony at Embraer’s facility in São José dos Campos in Brazil on January 22, 2024. They have since arrived at the airline’s hub at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) to prepare for their entry into commercial service.
The aircraft were supplied to Royal Jordanian through a lease agreement with aircraft lessor Azorra. The full agreement, announced in May 2023, covers eight aircraft in total – six aircraft from Azorra’s existing backlog with Embraer plus two further E195-E2 firm orders from the airline directly with Embraer.
“We’re looking forward to becoming the first E2 operator in the Middle East, supported by our trusted partners at Azorra,“ said Samer Majali, Vice Chairman/CEO of Royal Jordanian Airlines. “The E2 family of aircraft will support our strategic aims, complementing our larger narrow-body aircraft by matching capacity to demand, reducing operating costs and carbon emissions, while delivering a significant upgrade to passenger experience and comfort; underlining our status as the preferred airline in the region.”
“Our team’s longstanding partnership with Royal Jordanian began more than a decade ago,” said John Evans, CEO, and founder of Azorra. “From that Embraer E175 to these next-generation E2 aircraft today, we are proud to continue our support of Royal Jordanian, and the airline’s fleet modernization and expansion goals. We are confident Royal Jordanian will soon see the environmental and economic advantages of operating these new E2 aircraft while offering superior levels of passenger comfort.”
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation said: “Royal Jordanian’s selection of the E2 to modernize their fleet is a testament to the aircraft’s advanced capabilities, to our successful history, and our strong relationships with both Azorra and RJ. The E2 family of advanced-generation E-Jets offer the quietest, lowest polluting, and most fuel-efficient aircraft in the under 150-seat market. RJ can simultaneously realize both its growth, profitability, and sustainability ambitions with the E2 small narrow-body fleet complementing RJ’s larger narrow-body aircraft. We are proud to continue our long associations with Royal Jordanian and Azorra.”
The new Embraer jets join Royal Jordanian’s existing fleet of 30 aircraft, including five Airbus A319s, nine A320s, two A321s, plus seven 787-8s, two Embraer E170s, and four E190s. Additionally, the carrier has a further six 787-9s on order.