Royal Jordanian is knitting together the story of the Nabataean world in a way that no guidebook ever could. With the relaunch of its seasonal route between Amman and AlUla, the Jordanian flag carrier is inviting travelers to move almost seamlessly between Petra in southern Jordan and Hegra in northwest Saudi Arabia, two of the most spectacular archaeological landscapes on Earth. For visitors who think they have already checked Jordan off their list, this new connection opens a fresh, multidestination frontier, placing the region’s most iconic desert sites within easier reach of Europe, North America, and beyond.
A New Seasonal Bridge Across the Nabataean World
Royal Jordanian’s Amman–AlUla service returns as a seasonal link designed around the region’s most visitor-friendly months. The carrier plans to operate two weekly flights, on Sundays and Thursdays, connecting Queen Alia International Airport in Amman with AlUla International Airport. The first phase of operations is scheduled from late January to late February, with the service resuming again from mid-October 2025 through late February 2026, aligning closely with the peak winter travel window across the Middle East.
This is not simply a resumption of an experimental route. For Royal Jordanian, AlUla becomes a core part of its growing regional network, now positioned as a heritage and luxury counterpart to classic Red Sea and city-break itineraries. For travelers, the timing means cooler temperatures, clear desert skies, and access to a dense calendar of cultural and outdoor events on both sides of the border, from Petra by Night in Jordan to open-air concerts and festivals under AlUla’s sandstone cliffs.
The route also dovetails with a sharp increase in airlift into AlUla. The Saudi destination is poised to welcome more than two dozen weekly flights during the 2025–2026 winter season, making it more connected than ever to hubs such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, and now Amman. Royal Jordanian’s twice-weekly service is a small but symbolically important part of that growth, positioning Jordan as a northern gateway to one of Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious heritage tourism projects.
Petra to Hegra: Linking Two UNESCO Icons
At the heart of this new route is a powerful narrative: the chance to trace the arc of the Nabataean civilization in a single journey. Petra, Jordan’s star attraction, is the best-known expression of Nabataean artistry, its rose-red facades carved into sandstone cliffs and approached dramatically through the narrow siq. Yet south of the modern border, Hegra in AlUla offers a complementary, often quieter experience, with monumental rock-cut tombs scattered across a stark desert plateau.
Until recently, connecting Petra and Hegra on one itinerary required lengthy overland detours, complex cross-border arrangements, or multiple flight connections through third countries. Royal Jordanian’s Amman–AlUla flights compress that logistical tangle into a few hours of air travel, turning what was once an aspirational specialist journey into a realistic option for mainstream visitors. Travelers can arrive in Amman from Europe or North America, explore Jordan’s key sites, then continue directly to AlUla without backtracking through Gulf hubs.
For heritage enthusiasts, the appeal goes far beyond convenience. Petra and Hegra represent two chapters in the same architectural and cultural story. Petra’s Treasury and Monastery showcase the Nabataeans at the height of their power, blending Hellenistic influences with local traditions. Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, reveals how the civilization adapted as trade routes shifted and Roman influence grew. Experiencing both within a single trip offers a rare, immersive perspective on one of antiquity’s most enigmatic trading empires.
Amman: Gateway to Jordan’s Greatest Hits
Amman’s role in this new equation is crucial. Royal Jordanian’s home hub at Queen Alia International Airport is the primary entry point for most visitors to Jordan, and the airline has been actively positioning itself as a connector between the Americas, Europe, and the Levant. By scheduling the AlUla flights to nest within its broader international network, Royal Jordanian is effectively turning Amman into a staging ground for twin-center itineraries that combine Jordan and northwest Saudi Arabia.
From Amman, travelers can reach Petra in about three hours by road, passing through the highland town of Madaba and along stretches of the historic King’s Highway. Many itineraries naturally add stops at the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum’s red deserts, or Aqaba on the Red Sea, before looping back to the capital. With the new link in place, the journey no longer has to end there. Instead of flying home after Petra, visitors can step aboard a direct flight to AlUla and continue their exploration of the broader Nabataean world.
The timing is also advantageous for North American travelers, who frequently arrive in Amman on overnight flights. With a growing number of connecting banks built around morning and midday arrivals, it is increasingly feasible to land in Jordan, spend a day or two acclimatizing in the capital, then push on to Petra and Wadi Rum before flying to AlUla in the same week. Royal Jordanian’s network design gives tour operators flexibility to build everything from compact nine-day itineraries to longer, in-depth cultural journeys.
AlUla’s Rapid Rise as a Desert Destination
On the Saudi side of the border, AlUla has transformed from a little-known oasis town into one of the region’s most talked-about destinations. Backed by an ambitious long-term development strategy, AlUla now blends carefully managed heritage sites with design-forward resorts, contemporary art installations, wellness retreats, and a year-round calendar of festivals. The seasonal boost in flights, including Royal Jordanian’s service, is central to a stated goal of welcoming up to two million visitors annually by the mid-2030s.
At the center of AlUla’s appeal is Hegra, an archaeological site that preserves more than a hundred monumental rock-cut tombs carved into sandstone outcrops. Visitors can explore the tomb clusters by guided 4x4 tours, on bicycles, or by taking curated walking routes that bring the desert’s geology and history into sharper focus. Nearby, the Old Town of AlUla, with its mud-brick alleys and restored watchtowers, offers a very different, more intimate window into the region’s more recent past.
Crucially, AlUla has been developed with an eye toward low-density, high-value tourism rather than mass-market crowds. Accommodation remains relatively limited, with a mix of boutique lodges, high-end eco-resorts, and desert camps that emphasize space, privacy, and landscape integration. For travelers arriving from Petra and Wadi Rum, the transition feels natural: another desert, another set of sandstone canyons and star-filled skies, but a distinctly different aesthetic and cultural mood.
From Europe and the Americas to the Heart of the Desert
Royal Jordanian’s decision to resume and extend the Amman–AlUla route taps directly into its strongest markets. The airline has long maintained a significant presence in key European cities and across North America, using Amman as a bridge to the Levant, Iraq, and the Gulf. By layering AlUla onto this network, it offers travelers from those regions a simplified way to experience two countries in a single itinerary without having to rebook on multiple carriers or route through overheated hub airports at awkward times of day.
For travelers in cities like London, Paris, Frankfurt, Chicago, or New York, the new route effectively turns Jordan into an elegant stepping stone toward northwest Saudi Arabia. A single ticket can now cover the journey from a European or North American origin to Amman, onward to AlUla, and back again, with baggage checked through and schedules designed to minimize overnight layovers. That logistical ease is likely to be a major selling point for both tour operators and individual travelers who might otherwise be wary of planning a complex cross-border trip.
There is also a strategic play here for Royal Jordanian itself. As Gulf carriers continue to dominate long-haul routes, the airline is leaning into its identity as a specialist in Levantine and near-desert destinations. By curating access to niche but fast-rising places like AlUla, it can differentiate itself in a crowded regional market while supporting tourism agendas in both Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Amman–AlUla route may operate only a couple of times per week, but its impact on the airline’s brand positioning could be outsized.
Designing the Ultimate Petra–AlUla Itinerary
For travelers looking to make the most of the new link, a logical itinerary begins in Amman, giving time to adjust to the time zone and sample Jordanian urban life before heading south. After a day visiting the Roman Theater, the Citadel, and the cafes of Jabal Al Weibdeh, many visitors drive down to Petra, spending at least two nights to explore both the classic siq-to-Treasury approach and some of the quieter back trails that lead to lesser-known tombs and viewpoints.
From Petra, Wadi Rum is a natural extension, its orange sands and jagged rock formations offering both adventure and serenity. An overnight in a desert camp, perhaps with a dawn camel ride or a sunset 4x4 tour, creates a satisfying counterpoint to Petra’s crowds. Returning to Amman for a connecting flight, visitors can then pivot directly into the AlUla leg of the journey, arriving in time to settle into a desert resort and prepare for a full schedule of heritage and nature-based experiences.
In AlUla itself, itineraries often pair Hegra with visits to rock art sites, the mirrored concert hall of Maraya, and the restored lanes of the Old Town. Wellness-focused travelers might add a day at a spa retreat or join a yoga or meditation session in the desert. For those with more time, looping back via another regional hub such as Doha, Riyadh, or Dubai can add an urban or beach coda before the long-haul flight home. The key point is that Royal Jordanian’s new route turns what used to be an elaborate specialist expedition into a coherent, bookable journey for a broader audience.
Practical Considerations for Cross-Border Explorers
While the airline connection simplifies the geography, travelers still need to plan carefully for the administrative and seasonal nuances of visiting both Jordan and Saudi Arabia in one trip. Entry requirements for each country remain distinct, and visitors should check visa policies and e-visa eligibility well in advance. Many nationalities can now obtain electronic visas or visa-on-arrival for both countries, but processing times and conditions may differ, particularly for multi-entry stays or combined business and leisure trips.
Seasonality is another key consideration. The Amman–AlUla route is intentionally structured around the cooler months, when daytime desert temperatures are more comfortable for walking and outdoor exploration. Between late October and late February, both Petra and Hegra typically enjoy mild days and chilly nights, with occasional rain in Jordan’s highlands. Those aiming to include Red Sea snorkeling or diving in Aqaba or along the Saudi coast may want to book during the shoulders of this window to balance warm water with manageable daytime heat inland.
Finally, travelers should think carefully about pacing. Petra alone can easily fill two full days for those who like to explore side trails and viewpoints. Wadi Rum rewards at least one overnight, and AlUla’s mix of heritage, art, and wellness experiences can absorb three or four days without feeling repetitive. The temptation with improved air links is to stack too many destinations into a single itinerary, but the real magic of this cross-border journey lies in slowing down enough to watch the light shift across the sandstone and to appreciate how deeply human history is etched into the desert.
What This Means for the Future of Regional Travel
Royal Jordanian’s renewed route to AlUla is more than a scheduling tweak. It signals a broader shift in how the Middle East is presenting itself to the world, not as a series of isolated city-states and resorts but as a connected cultural landscape. By drawing a line in the sky between Petra and Hegra, the airline is inviting travelers to think in terms of corridors rather than single stops, of narratives rather than checklists.
For Jordan, the route reinforces its status as an essential starting point for travelers seeking layered, historically rich experiences in the region. For Saudi Arabia, it supports a long-term plan to develop AlUla as a flagship desert destination, integrated into regional air networks and paired with iconic sites beyond its borders. And for visitors who assume they already know Jordan inside out, it offers a compelling reason to look again, this time with an eye toward what lies just beyond the horizon.
In an era when many travelers crave deeper context and fewer crowds, the ability to move easily between Petra’s well-trodden paths and AlUla’s emerging circuits feels particularly timely. Royal Jordanian’s Amman–AlUla flights may only operate twice a week, but for those willing to plan around them, they unlock a rare opportunity: to follow the footprints of the Nabataeans across modern borders, and to see a familiar part of the world from a new, more expansive vantage point.