Jordan's state airline Royal Jordanian is looking to expand its current fleet of Boeing 787s to 11 Dreamliners — from seven currently — over the next five years, its chief executive said.
The 787-8 jet operator is also planning to replace the older model with the newer 787-9 and 787-10 variants of the wide-body jet, Royal Jordanian boss Samer Al Majali said at a press conference during the Bahrain International Airshow on Wednesday.
“We will probably approach both the leasing market and Boeing for purchases on these aircraft,” he said.
“It's a problem of deliveries: we're actually quite rushed to be able to at least change our current fleet, let alone expand. The earliest you can get 787s is probably 2025 and we're trying to push harder, but not possible.”
This comes after the airline in October signed an initial pact with Brazil's Embraer to acquire 10 of the E2 regional jets, including the E190 and E195 variants, to serve short-haul routes in the Middle East. The airline also signed an agreement with Airbus to introduce 20 new A320 Neo family jets to its fleet.
“As we introduce the narrow-body and regional jet fleet, that allows us to provide a stronger feeder network that will support additional wide-bodies in the future,” he said.
On Wednesday, the airline selected engine maker Pratt and Whitney to power up to 30 of its coming Airbus A320 Neo-family jets and Embraer E-Jets E2 aircraft with geared turbofan engines.
Pratt and Whitney will also provide the airline with engine maintenance through a long-term service agreement.
Aircraft deliveries are expected to begin in late 2023.
“These aircraft will allow us to modernise our fleet and offer new routes, all while keeping airfare affordable and significantly reducing our carbon emissions,” Mr Al Majali said.
GTF-powered aircraft reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by between 16 per cent 20 per cent, NOx emissions by 50 per cent and noise by 75 per cent.
Certified for operation on 50 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and successfully tested on 100 per cent SAF, GTF engines are capable of further reductions in carbon emissions, which will help the aviation industry meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, Pratt and Whitney said in a statement.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
The view from The National
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)
Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
