European budget airlines eyeing new opportunities in the Middle East

Recently, two of Europe’s leading discount airlines started targeting new business opportunities in the Middle East. In Feb 2018, Ryanair announced it was expanding in the Middle East with its first flights to Jordan. Last month, the airline flew its inaugural routes between Cyprus and Amman, initially offering prices at around US$25 a ticket. The airline says it will add additional routes between Amman and several European markets later this year, as well as starting flights to Aqaba, Jordan’s Red Sea resort town. Ryanair said it expects to transport almost 500,000 customers per year on its new routes to Jordan. Meanwhile, EasyJet also recently revealed it was exploring new opportunities in the Middle East as part of its long-haul connections program Worldwide by EasyJet. <br/>