New Oneworld Member
ATI Newsflash
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Royal Jordanian to join Oneworld
(17Oct05 10:57 GMT) David Kaminski-Morrow, Amman
Royal Jordanian Airlines is to become a member of the Oneworld alliance, the first Middle East carrier to commit to one of the major airline groups.
British Airways (BA) is sponsoring the carrier’s entry and Royal Jordanian is expected to become a fully fledged member around the turn of 2006/07.
While the airline had previously stated that it was keen to arrange an alliance tie-up, its talks with Oneworld have been a closely guarded secret.
Speaking at an event in the Jordanian capital Amman, Royal Jordanian chief executive Samer Majali said: “The Middle East is the fastest growing aviation market and we are the first airline from this region to find a home in a global alliance.
“This development is in tune with our ambition to privatise and to strengthen Amman’s role as a regional hub.”
Oneworld governing board chairman Fernando Conte says: “Our member airlines are at the stage where they feel it is sensible for the alliance to recruit in regions where we would like to broaden our network.”
BA chairman Martin Broughton describes Royal Jordanian as “an excellent fit” for the alliance, adding: “It meets the high quality customer standards that Oneworld demands of all its members, with a network that complements what we currently offer.”
Royal Jordanian’s membership will add ten destinations and two countries – Yemen and Iraq – to the Oneworld network.