Royal Jordanian Airlines launches regular service to Algiers

Royal Jordanian Airlines will start regular direct services to the Algerian capital, Algiers, as of Feb. 25 this year, thus connecting Jordan and Algeria for the first time since the company’s establishment 50 years ago. RJ President/CEO Amer Hadidi said there will be two weekly flights between Amman and Algiers, on Mondays and Wednesdays. As of April 1, 2013, the airline will add a third flight, on Thursdays, in order to meet the demand on travel that is expected to witness a gradual growth in the coming months. Hadidi mentioned that the airline\'s decision to put Algiers on its route network is based on the market research, which also showed the different categories of passengers served by this route. Business travelers are amongst the passengers on this route, especially those working in the pharmaceutical industries. The Algiers route will see active traffic to the Kingdom from medical tourists. Jordan is fast becoming a very attractive destination for medical tourism in the region. He stressed that connecting Amman with Algiers through a direct scheduled service is bound to boost tourism in both countries, and also develop economic relations. The route is also intended to help the movement of goods between the two countries. Algeria is a promising market that has the capability to absorb Jordanian products. Hadidi added that this route will feed other RJ routes in the region, particularly Jeddah and Medina, when Algerian passengers will transit via Amman to conduct Umrah and Hajj in Saudi Arabia. At the first stage, Royal Jordanian will run its operations to Algiers, its 58th destination, on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Mondays, the flight takes off from Queen Alia International Airport in Amman at 11:15 am and lands at 14:05 pm at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers. The return flight leaves Algiers at 15:00 pm and reaches Amman at 21:05 pm. On Wednesdays, the flight takes off from Amman at 10:30 am and lands at 13:20 pm in Algiers. The return flight leaves Algiers at 14:15 pm and arrives in Amman at 20:20 pm. Royal Jordanian will announce the new flight schedule after it adds the third frequency, effective with the beginning of April this year. Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world and the largest in Africa. It owns a wide range of tourist and archeological sites that attract people from all over the world. It has an estimated population of 37 million. Houari Boumediene Airport, which was built in 1924, is the main airport of the country and the operations center for Air Algerie.