Royal Jordanian slashes routes on fuel and Arab Spring woes

Royal Jordanian has stripped five destinations from its route network as soaring fuel prices and political unrest as a result of the Arab Spring continue to take a toll on its bottom line.

The Jordanian flag-carrier said it would suspend flights to Munich, Brussels and the UAE’s Al Ain in March and April, with two further Gulf destinations to be axed in due course.

Royal Jordanian will also slash frequencies on its routes to Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Amsterdam, Colombo and Khartoum.

In a statement, the carrier’s CEO, Hussein Dabbas, also said it had stopped hiring new staff, and would also “reconsider its fleet size”.

Dabbas added that the fuel price had led to operational costs at the operator rising by 20 percent last year, while political unrest associated with the Arab Spring had translated into the loss of “hundreds of thousands” of passengers to and from Middle Eastern destinations.

The drop in passenger numbers forced the airline to cancel 1,300 flights last year. It has already cancelled 460 flights so far in 2012.