ROYAL JORDANIAN (RJ), the national carrier of Jordan, transported over 774,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2012, compared to 615,000 passengers carried in the same period of 2011, marking an increase of 26 per cent.

RJ president and CEO Hussein Dabbas said that the airline saw positive performance indicators for the overall operations during the first three months of 2012, although this time of the year is usually the weakest in terms of demand for travel.

He added that the rise in the number of passengers increased the seat factor by 10 per cent, from 65 per cent in the first quarter of 2011 to 71 per cent this year.

He also said that RJ focused its efforts in the last months on attracting more passengers on board its planes, which serve 60 direct international destinations.

The reservation system, he said, shows a progressive growth for the coming months, and is expected to reach high levels in the summer. RJ started to prepare for the peak season and meet all the requirements for better service to travellers.

Dabbas attributed the growing number of passengers to the company’s efforts to constantly ease travel procedures by implementing the best electronic solutions and improving air and ground services. In addition to that, partnering with the oneworld carriers gives the public more travel options and better connectivity.

Royal Jordanian, said Dabbas, strives to offer the best services in its quest to compete with other airlines and boost its competitiveness in the air transport industry.

He said that the rise in the number of passengers had a positive impact on the growth of other key performance indicators; flight frequencies went up by 6 per cent and flying hours by 5 per cent.

Dabbas expressed hope that the Middle East countries will see more stability, leading to the revival of travel and tourism in the region. With the Middle Eastern secure, tourist groups from all over the world can be expected to visit Jordan and the neighbouring countries, offsetting the drawback that hit tourism last year and the first quarter of this year.