Royal Jordanian : honors partners on the occasion of its golden jubilee

Royal Jordanian held a gala dinner on December 1, 2013, to honor its general sales agents (GSAs) and the travel and tourism representatives inside and outside Jordan.

The event, called for by Chairman of the Board of Directors Nasser Lozi and RJ President/CEO Amer Hadidi, gave recognition to the airline's partners for their efforts on the occasion of RJ's golden jubilee, which falls on December 15, 2013.

The ceremony, which was held at the hotel Hyatt Amman, was attended by the mayor of Amman, Akel Biltaji, former RJ CEO Ali Ghandour, RJ cargo agents, frequent flyers, and media representatives. Shields of appreciation were distributed to the sales agents, reflecting the solid, professional relationship between RJ and its partners over the past five decades.

During the event, Lozi honored Ghandour for his role in putting the first building block of the airline in the early 1960s, for his contribution to the development of the company and for placing it on strong foundations and following international standards of the air transport industry.

During his speech, Hadidi praised the vital role the GSAs play in strengthening the company's position and in increasing its revenues, which rose from JD1 million in 1964 to more than JD800 million by the end 2013.

The RJ president said that celebrating the airline's golden jubilee brings to mind the long years of constant hard work and fruitful cooperation between the airline and its partners who spared no effort to help RJ reach successes over the years.

The expansion of the route network, the growth in the volume of sales and the remarkable international presence of RJ secured the airline a market share that matches its size, potentials and outstanding services, added Hadidi.

He stressed that the airline's strategic expansion plans count on the efforts of its agents, pointing out that RJ will keep working hand in hand with them to attain mutual benefits.

Ghandour delivered a speech presenting the most prominent milestones in "Alia's" history since its establishment, pointing to the clear vision derived from the founder of the airline, King Hussein Bin Talal, and his determination to establish a national carrier to link Jordan with the rest of the world and to carry the Jordanian identity, heritage and civilization to other nations.

Ghandour said the difficulties the company encountered at the beginnings and the humble financial and technical potentials were countered with the eagerness of the RJ founder and employees, which propelled it to growth and success.

He added that the hard work strengthened the airline's position and enabled RJ to expand its route network and introduce modern aircraft to its fleet, bringing the company a prestige recently crowned by joining the oneworld alliance next to giant international airlines.

Ghandour said he was proud of the time spent at RJ, which lasted for 27 years, and praised the technical and managerial skills of those who run the company in a professional and effect manner. He added that RJ has become a school for qualified human resources in the aviation industry pursued by many Arab and international airlines.

Royal Jordanian organized familiarization trips for the GSAs to the most remarkable tourist places in Jordan, as part of its commitment to promote the country, introducing the visiting groups to the developments in the touristic places and the infrastructure in order to attract more traffic to Jordan, since tourism and aviation are very important pillars for the national economy.