Middle Eastern carrier Royal Jordanian Airlines has firmed-up orders for eight Embraer E2-family jets following a memorandum of understanding signed with the airframer in October last year. The MoU was part of a broader fleet-modernisation strategy announced by the Oneworld carrier, which also includes a commitment for 20 Airbus A320neo-family jets and, potentially, an order for more Boeing 787s. Partly through lessor Azorra, Royal Jordanian will receive eight Pratt & Whitney PW1900Gs-powered E2 aircraft, Embraer said on 18 May, equally split between E190-E2s and E195-E2s. They will be delivered from Q4 of this year. The four E190-E2s and two of the E195-E2s will come from Azorra’s existing backlog with Embraer, while the remaining two examples of the latter will be received via a new, direct order from the airline. Royal Jordanian does not say whether it still intends to order 10 E2s in total, as was covered by the MoU. “RJ has been operating Embraer aircraft for 15 years, and the E2 reduces the investment cost of pilot training and spare parts provisioning significantly, whilst also lowering crew scheduling and maintenance costs,” says Royal Jordanian CE Samer Majali. “The aircraft also provides 25% fuel savings compared to current aircraft, resulting in operating cost savings as well as significant carbon emissions reductions supporting the airline’s environmental strategy and targets.” Royal Jordanian’s E195-E2s will feature 12 business-class seats and 108 in Economy. The smaller E190-E2 will also have 12 business-class seats, and 80 in Economy. Under its modernisation plan, Royal Jordanian intends to increase its fleet from 24 aircraft currently to more than 40 over the next five years.<br/>
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Hundreds of thousands of people queued online for flights to Hong Kong being given away by Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. on its North America website, with 4,445 tickets from the US and Canada up for grabs. Wait times on the airline’s US and Canada websites were longer than an hour Thursday morning Hong Kong time as customers raced to pick up free round-trip tickets to Hong Kong, offered on a first-come-first-served basis. By midmorning, the offer had ended. “Due to popular demand, we have already reached our ticket limit in United States and Canada,” Cathay said. “This exclusive ticket offer is now closed.” The promotion is part of Hong Kong’s plan to lure tourists back after essentially closeting itself from the rest of the world throughout the pandemic, when arrival numbers slumped and the economy fell into recession. The Asian financial hub ditched the last of its virus restrictions, including mandatory mask-wearing, at the start of March. “Inbound tourism and domestic demand will remain the major drivers of economic growth this year,” the Hong Kong government said in early May. Cathay, Hong Kong’s main airline, is giving away 500,000 tickets in total to customers worldwide. The promotion started in March, with 17,400 tickets allocated for Thailand, 12,500 to Singapore and 20,400 for the Philippines, before being expanded to other places. Winners still need to pay taxes and surcharges, so a return economy flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong would cost them about $350, according to Cathay’s website. Cathay operated at as little as 2% of normal capacity during the pandemic as travel to Hong Kong dried up, leaving it with record losses. <br/>
Fiji Airways will increase service from Nadi, Fiji's third largest city, to Hong Kong by August and introduce fourth-weekly flights from Oct. 1, as demand on the route has picked up swiftly. The national airline re-started with two direct flights between Nadi and Hong Kong on April 1, with a third service from August. Currently, the flights between Nadi and Hong Kong operate every Monday and Thursday. The third service from August will add Saturday flights with Sunday services from October. Fiji Airways' managing director and CEO Andre Viljoen said on Thursday that the demand is enabling the airline to provide four flights a week from this October. Viljoen said Hong Kong has traditionally been a strong link for Fiji Airways as the main gateway into the Chinese mainland, and they are pleased with how well this market has picked up in a short time. Viljoen said their forward bookings for Hong Kong for the next six months are 15% ahead of the 2019 number. Based on this, they are confident that a fourth service will also do well.<br/>