Royal Jordanian targets cargo growth with new air freighters

• Airbus A330 due in October
• Focus includes Asia and US
• War doubles freight revenue

Royal Jordanian is expanding its cargo operation with dedicated freighter aircraft, targeting growing trade flows between Jordan, the wider Middle East and major markets in Asia and North America, its chief commercial officer has said.

The airline will introduce an Airbus A330 freighter in October and eventually operate three such planes as well as two A321 freighters, Karim Makhlouf told AGBI. The A330 has a cargo capacity of about 65 tonnes, he said.

Royal Jordanian has historically focused on passenger traffic, but cargo revenues have roughly doubled as geopolitical disruption reduced shipping capacity and pushed more goods towards air freight, Makhlouf said.

Royal Jordanian is seeking to develop Amman as a regional logistics hub serving Jordan and neighbouring Iraq and Syria.

The airline is investing $50 million in a new cargo warehouse and plans to operate freighter services from Jordan to China and the US, with Africa also under consideration, Makhlouf said.

It plans to link the operation with Aqaba, Jordan’s main seaport, while adding road feeder services alongside its air network to handle imports, exports and transit cargo.

Royal Jordanian handled nearly 21,500 tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2026, up 36 percent from a year earlier, according to its financial results. That compares with about 32,000 tonnes for the whole of 2025.

However, Middle Eastern airlines recorded only a 1 percent year-on-year increase in air-cargo demand in August, the weakest growth among all regions, while capacity rose 3 percent, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The new freighter operation will allow Royal Jordanian to pursue transit cargo between Europe, the Gulf and the Levant, rather than relying mainly on goods originating in or destined for Jordan, Makhlouf said.

“After all these wars in Syria and Iraq, there will be a lot of build-up and build-up needs cargo,” he said.

Broader expansion

The cargo strategy forms part of a broader expansion at Royal Jordanian, which is growing its passenger fleet and targeting about 5.2 million travellers this year, up from around 3 million five years ago.

The airline lost about a quarter of its traffic at the peak of the Iran war. Royal Jordanian, which operates 36 aircraft, never stopped flying during the disruption but was affected by temporary closures at other Gulf airports, Makhlouf said.

The airline grounded 35 percent of its capacity in March and April but has since maintained a load factor above 80 percent, he said.

“We are still growing versus the previous year,” Makhlouf added.

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Royal Jordanian carried nearly 2 million passengers in the first half of 2026, up 5 percent year on year. Revenue rose 23 percent, but net profit fell to JOD1.4 million ($2 million) from JOD12.7 million a year earlier.

The airline is set to begin flying to Beijing at the start of 2027, while Makhlouf said Royal Jordanian was also looking to increase operations to India. It currently offers six weekly flights to Mumbai.

“We are really continuing the growth,” Makhlouf said.

Further potential destinations include Milan, Rome, Venice, Belgrade, Salonika, Malaga and Lisbon.