Royal Jordanian (RJ) has entered into a full code-share agreement with Bahrain national carrier Gulf Air to offer passengers 11-weekly flights between their capitals Amman and Manama.

Under the terms of the agreement, the flights will be operated by Gulf Air but marketed by both carriers, said a statement from Royal Jordanian.

The move comes as the existing bilateral code-share agreement between Royal Jordanian and Gulf Air, whereby the two parties were operating and marketing flights between the respective capitals, became unilateral.

As per the deal, Gulf Air will be operating 11 weekly frequencies, departing from Amman as three morning flights, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, four noon flights, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, and another four evening flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Royal Jordanian president and CEO Hussein Dabbas said both Gulf Air and RJ enjoy a robust relationship.

'Our airline has been cooperating with Gulf Air since May 2004, when we signed a code-share deal allowing free sale of seats on both carriers’ flights between Amman and Manama. Both of us provide superb on board and on ground services and competitive ticket prices,' he stated.

Dabbas pointed out that under the renewed code-share deal, Royal Jordanian ensures its passengers will continue to enjoy the services and flight convenience on Gulf Air, which they were used to when flying Royal Jordanian.

According to him, the unilateral code share agreement is in the best economic interest for both carriers and passengers from Jordan and Bahrain.

It will result in reducing the operational expenses, needed in light of the regress in demand for travel to and from the region, due to the regional unrest. 

Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali said, “We have always had excellent commercial and codeshare relationship with Royal Jordanian for several years working to benefit each other’s passenger segments.”

“The new agreement facilitates both airlines to streamline operations in the interest of serving our passengers as well as the carriers in response to market demand. We will ensure Royal Jordanian passengers get the same consistent and high-quality service and products when they travel with Gulf Air,” he noted.

“With 11 flights per week from Amman to Bahrain, Gulf Air provides wider travel options for passengers with a choice of morning, noon and evening flights to reach Bahrain at their own convenience,' observed Majali.

'In addition, these flights provide excellent onward connectivity to the Far East, Saudi Arabia and the Indian sub-continent with a very minimal waiting time in Bahrain, while on return flights, passengers can connect via Amman to a number of European cities across  Royal Jordanian’s extensive network,' he added.

Under this deal, Royal Jordanian passengers can now book a flight through the airline’s website from any of their destinations to Bahrain via Amman.

Correspondingly, Gulf Air passengers will be able to book flights to over 20 European and North American destinations via Amman with over 30 connections within 3 hours. Thus, passengers will benefit from a greater range of travel options.-TradeArabia News Service