Royal Jordanian is rapidly transforming Amman into one of the most connected aviation gateways in the Middle East, and Greece is the latest country to plug into this growing network strategy. With new and upcoming routes linking Jordan to the United States, Kazakhstan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and now Greece, the carrier is positioning itself as a bridge between East and West, capitalizing on booming tourism flows, rising demand for religious and heritage travel, and a global appetite for multi-destination itineraries.

Greece Steps Into a Fast-Expanding Royal Jordanian Network

Greece’s closer integration with Royal Jordanian’s network comes at a time when both countries see tourism as a central pillar of post-pandemic economic growth. Jordan is marketing itself as a compact, high-value destination anchored by Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea, while Greece continues to draw record-breaking visitor numbers to its islands and historic cities. A stronger air bridge between Amman and Greek gateways fits squarely into both governments’ ambitions to lengthen visitor stays, encourage multi-country holidays and attract higher-spending travelers.

Royal Jordanian’s broader European strategy has focused on increasing frequencies and returning to key cities that feed tourism into the Levant. The resumption and launch of new services such as Hamburg and Munich in 2026, alongside existing links to major European capitals, gives Jordan far greater visibility in the continent’s outbound travel market. Adding Greek routes and deeper cooperation with Greek tourism partners creates opportunities to package Amman, Petra and Aqaba with Athens, Thessaloniki or popular islands in a single itinerary.

For Greece, participation in this network push reinforces its role as a Mediterranean hub that connects Europe with the Middle East and beyond. As Royal Jordanian grows, Greek airports can benefit from additional traffic flows originating in the Gulf, the Levant, North Africa and, crucially, North America. It also helps diversify Greece’s inbound markets beyond the traditional Western European core, adding visitors from Jordan, the wider Arab world and long-haul markets connected via Amman.

On a geopolitical level, expanding air connectivity between Greece and Jordan aligns with a broader pattern of closer cooperation between Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern states. Tourism, aviation and logistics are seen as low-friction sectors that can quickly deliver economic wins while deepening diplomatic ties. Royal Jordanian’s route decisions are therefore not just commercial moves but also part of a larger regional realignment centered on trade, investment and people-to-people exchange.

United States Routes Cement Amman’s Long-Haul Gateway Role

The United States has emerged as one of Royal Jordanian’s most strategically important regions, and recent network announcements underline that emphasis. The carrier already serves New York, Chicago and Detroit, key markets for both tourism and diaspora traffic. The launch of nonstop flights between Amman and Washington, D.C. in March 2025 further strengthens connectivity between Jordan and the political, economic and cultural heart of the United States.

Washington’s inclusion gives Royal Jordanian four direct entry points into the American market, and future additions are planned. A forthcoming route from Dallas–Fort Worth to Amman in 2026, operated under the airline’s partnership framework, is expected to unlock new flows from the American South and central United States. This is particularly significant for leisure travelers who wish to combine Jordan with onward journeys to Egypt, the Gulf, or, in time, Greece and Central Asia using Amman as a single, streamlined transit point.

From a tourism standpoint, these U.S. routes dramatically reduce friction for American travelers who might previously have needed multiple connections to reach Jordan or neighboring destinations. With a single stop or nonstop options, visitors can now more easily book itineraries that include Petra, Amman’s historic core, desert adventures in Wadi Rum and seaside stays on the Red Sea. As Royal Jordanian adds more modern aircraft and upgrades cabin products, the airline is targeting higher-yield segments such as cultural tourists, adventure travelers and premium leisure passengers.

The American expansion also benefits partner destinations across the network. Greece, Egypt, the UAE and, in coming years, Kazakhstan can all expect to see incremental traffic from U.S. markets using Amman as a transfer hub. This multiplies the impact of each new transatlantic flight, since it feeds not only Jordan’s inbound tourism but the wider regional ecosystem that Royal Jordanian is knitting together.

Royal Jordanian’s decision to launch direct flights between Amman and Kazakhstan in 2026 marks one of the most ambitious elements of its current expansion. Planned services to Almaty, following on from earlier announcements of routes into the country, are designed to open a new Central Asia corridor that connects the region with the Levant, the Gulf, North Africa and, via Amman, Europe and North America.

Kazakhstan has been actively seeking to diversify its air links, promoting Almaty as a regional aviation hub and gateway to Central Asia. Direct flights from Amman will support that strategy by funneling passengers from the Middle East, the United States and Europe into Kazakhstan’s burgeoning tourism and business markets. In turn, travelers from Central Asia gain streamlined access to Jordan’s heritage attractions, as well as onward routes to Greece, Egypt and the UAE without the need to route through traditional European mega-hubs.

For Royal Jordanian, Kazakhstan represents both a growth market and a strategic connector. The carrier’s five-year growth plan emphasizes adding destinations that can generate two-way flows: inbound visitors to Jordan and outbound Jordanians and regional travelers heading for new leisure and business frontiers. Central Asia fits this model well. Over time, coordinated marketing campaigns can highlight combined itineraries such as cultural circuits linking Almaty, Amman and Athens, or religious and historical tours that span the Silk Road, the Holy Land and classical Mediterranean sites.

These routes also underscore a larger shift in global aviation, where mid-sized carriers leverage geographic advantage to stitch together secondary but fast-growing markets. By moving early into Kazakhstan, Royal Jordanian aims to secure first-mover benefits, cementing bilateral ties and building brand recognition among travelers who may not previously have considered Jordan as a gateway or destination in its own right.

Egypt, UAE and the Rise of a Multi-Destination Middle East

While Jordan’s flagship carrier pushes north and west into Europe and Central Asia, it is also deepening ties with regional tourism powerhouses such as Egypt and the UAE. Enhanced connectivity with Cairo and major Egyptian resort areas supports a natural tourism pairing. Travelers can experience the pyramids, Nile cruises and Red Sea resorts, then continue on to Petra, Jerash and the Dead Sea on a single, integrated journey, with Amman acting as a flexible junction.

The UAE, and particularly Abu Dhabi and Dubai, functions as both a destination and a super-connector. As Gulf carriers expand their own global footprints, Royal Jordanian’s regional services complement these flows, feeding visitors into Jordan’s cultural and religious sites from an ever-wider set of origin markets. For Greece, this creates new possibilities to be included in Middle East and Mediterranean combination trips, where visitors start in the Gulf, move through Jordan and conclude their journeys on the Greek islands or in historic cities.

Closer aviation ties between Jordan, Egypt and the UAE are also reshaping the perception of the wider region among international travelers. Instead of viewing the Middle East as a series of stand-alone destinations, more visitors are starting to see it as an interconnected tourism zone. Improved flight schedules, aligned visa policies and cooperative marketing campaigns are encouraging travelers to add additional countries to their itineraries, generating higher overall spending and longer stays.

Royal Jordanian’s rapidly modernizing fleet underpins this shift. With the introduction of A320neo aircraft, new Embraer E2 regional jets and upgraded widebody Boeing 787s, the airline is able to fine-tune capacity on medium-haul routes to Egypt and the Gulf. This allows for better scheduling, improved reliability and more attractive onboard products, making it easier to persuade travelers to tack on extra legs to Greece, Central Asia or North Africa within the same trip.

Fleet Modernization and the Push to Make Amman a Regional Hub

All of these route announcements would be far less impactful without the hardware to support them. Royal Jordanian has embarked on a sweeping fleet renewal program that is steadily replacing older aircraft with a younger, more efficient mix of narrowbody and widebody jets. By late 2025, a large share of the fleet will have been renewed, including a substantial number of new Airbus A320neos and Embraer E2 jets tailored to short and medium-haul routes within Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

On the long-haul side, the airline is upgrading its Boeing 787-8 cabins and preparing to introduce the larger 787-9, which will be central to transatlantic and deep-Asia operations. For travelers from the United States, this means more modern cabins, enhanced in-flight entertainment systems, and improved connectivity, elements that are increasingly decisive in competitive long-haul markets. For Greece, Kazakhstan, Egypt and the UAE, the newer narrowbodies promise more consistent service and the flexibility to adjust capacity in line with seasonal tourism trends.

Underpinning the fleet strategy is a clear objective: to position Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport as the main gateway to the Levant. By 2026, the network is expected to cover more than 60 destinations, knitting together cities across Europe, North America, the Gulf, North Africa and Central Asia. For the growing roster of partner countries and tourism boards, Amman becomes not just a destination but an essential transit node that can redirect visitor flows in their favor.

The hub strategy also encourages airlines, airports and tourism authorities in markets like Greece to think collaboratively. Coordinated slot planning, shared marketing efforts and integrated tour products can help maximize load factors on seasonal and year-round routes, making them more resilient to economic or geopolitical volatility. In this context, Greece’s closer alignment with Royal Jordanian’s expansion is as much a strategic partnership as it is a new air link.

Tourism Impacts: From Petra to the Parthenon and Beyond

From the traveler’s perspective, the most visible impact of Royal Jordanian’s network build-out is the ability to design richer, more varied trips with minimal logistical friction. An American visitor could, for example, fly nonstop from Washington to Amman, spend several days exploring Petra, Wadi Rum and Madaba, then connect to Greece for a week split between Athens and an island, before returning home via a European or North American gateway on the same ticket.

Likewise, a tourist from Kazakhstan could now access Mediterranean beach destinations and historic sites without multiple changes through distant hubs, instead following a single, more intuitive route via Amman. Travelers from Egypt and the UAE gain similar advantages, with new possibilities to add Jordan or Greece as extensions to existing holiday patterns. This bundling of destinations is precisely what many tourism boards in the region have been advocating, as it allows them to capture incremental days and higher spending per visitor.

For Greece, tapping into this emerging multi-destination market could help flatten the intense seasonality that has long characterized its tourism industry. Shoulder-season itineraries that combine archaeological sightseeing in Athens and the Peloponnese with desert experiences in Jordan or city breaks in Amman are particularly attractive in spring and autumn. These periods align well with favorable weather, lower crowding and increasingly competitive airfares.

The cultural fit between Greece and Jordan is another advantage. Both countries offer deeply layered historical narratives, strong culinary traditions and accessible, compact clusters of attractions that lend themselves well to curated circuits. Royal Jordanian’s network, by shortening travel times and simplifying ticketing, acts as the connective tissue that allows tour operators, cruise lines and independent travelers to bring these combinations to life.

Strategic Outlook: Connectivity as a Catalyst for Regional Cooperation

The acceleration of Royal Jordanian’s route expansion into the United States, Kazakhstan, Egypt, the UAE, Greece and beyond reflects a broader realization in the region that aviation and tourism are powerful catalysts for economic and diplomatic cooperation. By physically linking cities that share complementary tourism assets, the airline and its partners are building a web of interests that encourages stability, investment and long-term collaboration.

For Greece, the decision to more actively integrate into this network offers both immediate and longer-term benefits. In the short term, additional air links mean more visitors from new source markets and greater flexibility for existing ones. Over time, deeper aviation ties with Jordan and its neighbors can translate into joint promotion campaigns, shared investment in infrastructure and collaborative approaches to sustainable tourism, crucial in an era of climate-conscious travel.

Royal Jordanian’s leadership has been explicit that its objective is not simply to grow for growth’s sake, but to support Jordan’s national tourism strategy and elevate the country’s profile as a must-see destination. Extending this philosophy to partner markets like Greece, Kazakhstan, Egypt and the UAE suggests a model in which airlines, airports and tourism boards work in concert rather than in isolation. The carrier’s progress over the next few years will be closely watched by industry analysts as a test case for how a mid-sized airline can punch above its weight in shaping regional travel patterns.

As new aircraft join the fleet and additional routes come online through 2026 and beyond, travelers can expect more nonstops, better schedules and increasingly seamless connections linking Petra to the Parthenon, the Kazakh steppe to the shores of the Aegean, and American cities directly to the heart of the Levant. Greece’s growing role in this story underscores a simple but powerful reality: in today’s tourism landscape, connectivity is not just an operational detail, but a strategic asset that can redefine how and where the world chooses to travel.