Jordan’s national flag carrier Royal Jordanian (RJ) has introduced its new inflight duty free programme operated by the DFASS Group to its international fleet – operating principally out of the country’s main airport base at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman.

 

Jordan’s flag carrier is operating the new programme in partnership with DFASS, as reported back in March of this year [click here for reference: http://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/middle-east/dfass-partners-with-restructuring-royal-jordanian/102838].

 

In a statement from the airline which was also released by the Petra News Agency yesterday, the airline says this new programme will now allow passengers to select products from ‘a vast range’ of prestigious brands on most RJ aircraft, particularly those on long- and medium-haul routes.

 

It also adds that ‘under the agreement signed with DFASS Group’ it will have access to its large network of product resources to formulate a unique programme for its passengers.

 

THE NEW PRODUCT MIX

The product mix now includes fragrances and cosmetics, watches, jewellery, tobacco, sunglasses, RJ-branded items and other items, with payment taken in Jordanian dinars, euros, US dollars or British pounds, using cash or credit cards.

 

‘ADDED VALUE’ FOR BOTH AIRLINE AND PASSENGERS….

Commenting on the new arrangement, RJ’s President/CEO Captain Suleiman Obeidat said: “Royal Jordanian’s objective to sell duty free goods on board is an added value to the customer service it offers its passengers. This time-saving shopping experience will enable our passengers to buy their needs during their journey time.”

 

He added that the programme will support the airline’s ancillary revenues, creating an additional opportunity to generate revenues. [Revenue management is the third pillar of the latest Royal Jordanian business plan covering 2015-2016 which is focused on several measures to boost revenues – including ancillary revenues which the airline lists as its fourth pillar in its plan-Ed].

 

Adding his comments, DFASS VP Operations-EMEA Mario Mouarbes said: “DFASS is excited to commence operations in Jordan and will leverage its global reach to ensure that Royal Jordanian is bringing first-class services to its passengers through state-of-the-art systems.”

 

Repeating the earlier statement made after it was appointed back in March, DFASS said that Royal Jordanian chose DFASS ‘after a rigorous request for proposal (RFP) process’, with several factors taken into the evaluation, including information technology, creative sales and marketing plans, plus access to various products, as well as a global operational infrastructure.

 

 

ROYAL JORDANIAN’S SIX PILLAR BUSINESS PLAN

As mentioned, Royal Jordanian is now implementing its business plan for 2015-2019, which consists of six pillars. The first focuses on the route network and the fleet with the airline deciding to close eight destinations due to ‘poor feasibility’ in Delhi, Mumbai, Colombo, Accra, Lagos, Milan, Al Ain and Alexandria.

 

It also suspended operations to eight other cities for security reasons, including Damascus, Aleppo, Mosul, Tripoli, Benghazi, Misurata, Sanaa and Aden, while phasing out a number of aircraft and introducing five new Boeing 787s.

 

The second pillar of the plan involves boosting the local market share and growing by directly increasing the number of passengers from and to Jordan, while increasing transit traffic via the kingdom.

 

The third is revenue management and the fourth is the aforementioned ancillary revenue generation. Last, but not least, the fifth pillar concentrates on the more efficient and cost-effective use of aircraft fuel.

 

This all follows the return to profit by Royal Jordanian last year. According to the airline, it now operates direct services to 55 destinations spread over four continents, and reaches more than 1,000 cities onboard its 14 oneworld partners, with only one stop from Amman.