Interview with Karim Makhlouf
Royal Jordanian - Chief Commercial Officer
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Karim Makhlouf
Royal Jordanian
Chief Commercial Officer
Karim Makhlouf has more than 27 years’ experience in the airline industry with expertise and focus on turnaround, change management and start up airlines. He has been on C-Level for the last 15 years in various airlines in Europe, Gulf and Middle East. He was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer in Royal Jordanian Airlines in June 2021 and developed the new 5-year restructuring and growth plan for Royal Jordanian Airlines.
Prior to that, he was Chief Commercial Officer of Saudi Gulf Airlines and a member of the founding management team of this airline start up project in KSA.
Karim worked as Chief Commercial Officer in Europe and the Gulf for both airline models -low cost and legacy carriers, such as Gulf Air, Malev and Sky Europe.
He started his career with the Lufthansa Group in Network and Revenue Management and was a member of the founding management team of Germanwings/Eurowings, the low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa.Royal Jordanian is undergoing a strategic expansion phase.
Royal Jordanian is undergoing a strategic expansion phase. How are you, as Chief Commercial Officer, leading the alignment between route growth, product enhancement and new alliances to strengthen the airline’s competitive positioning across the Middle East, Europe and the Americas?
Four years ago, we defined an ambitious growth plan focused on two core strategic pillars: repositioning Royal Jordanian as the leading carrier of the Levant, and driving tourism into Jordan as a fundamental engine of economic growth through our ExploRJordan strategy. This renewed positioning is reflected across our network, brand, and product development.
In an increasingly fragmented global market, which commercial innovations do you consider essential for Royal Jordanian to attract both corporate and leisure travelers, while maintaining a differentiated value proposition without compromising financial sustainability and operational excellence?
We have reduced the average age of our fleet from 11 years to 3.5 years by introducing brand-new aircraft featuring the latest technology and the most eco-efficient performance — including the Embraer E2 for regional routes, the A320neo family for narrow-body operations, and the 787-9 for long-haul services. At the same time, we are digitalizing the entire travel journey through our app, onboard Wi-Fi, and new customer-centric initiatives. We also launched RJ Holidays , the first packaging platform that allows customers to book not only flights but complete journeys featuring Jordan’s culinary, adventure, art, wellness, cultural, and event tourism experiences. This positions Jordan as modern, contemporary, and authentically Arabian.
Digitalization is redefining the passenger experience. How is Royal Jordanian advancing the integration of new technologies in booking systems, revenue management and customer service, and what is your vision of automation as a driver of efficiency and personalization in the coming years?
The aviation industry is shifting toward dynamic offer-and-order retailing and customized pricing. With NDC, revenue management is evolving to continuous pricing and enriched product offerings. This allows customers to bundle flights, hotels, ancillaries, and experiences. RJ is advancing rapidly on the offer-and-order roadmap; we will activate dynamic pricing next year and further develop the system over the following 12 months. Our goal is to stimulate tourism into Jordan through a fully digitalized platform.
Commercial decisions require a deep understanding of modern passenger expectations. Which behavioral and consumption trends do you see directly influencing the design of products, fares, ancillary services and loyalty strategies within Royal Jordanian?
Post-COVID, leisure travel has grown significantly faster than corporate travel. This segment requires advanced packaging solutions that go beyond traditional flight-and-hotel bundles. Today’s traveler views flights as important, but the ground experience is the decisive factor in purchase decisions. Through digitalization, ExploRJordan, and RJ Holidays, we are preparing to meet and exceed these evolving expectations.
Strengthening Amman as a hub is key to regional connectivity. How does the commercial strategy contribute to expanding transfer networks, stimulating emerging markets and positioning Jordan as an important link between East and West?
Amman has emerged as the leading hub of the Levant — a region of more than 140 million people, including Cyprus, Palestine, Iraq, and Syria. Our strategy is to consistently expand connectivity from the Levant through Amman to Europe and North America. This is why we are increasing frequencies regionally, eastbound, and westbound, ensuring a balanced network while maintaining a strong point-to-point share of around 60% driven by tourism.
Competitive pressure on short- and medium-haul routes grows every year. What specific actions is Royal Jordanian taking to differentiate itself from low-cost carriers while maintaining premium standards and protecting revenue in highly price-sensitive markets?
RJ’s focus is on high-frequency scheduling that provides multiple options for point-to-point and connecting customers. We continuously invest in product upgrades and new aircraft, while improving productivity — including seat load factors and aircraft utilization — to maintain a competitive cost base. This allows us to remain aggressive on pricing while offering strong value for money.
Royal Jordanian continues to focus on improving profitability. What is your philosophy for managing revenue, optimizing dynamic fares and balancing financial performance with the need to deliver a consistent experience in a highly volatile sector?
Like all airlines, we aim to improve unit revenues to offset rising costs. Through fare families, dynamic pricing, expanded ancillaries, innovative packaging solutions, and ExploRJordan, we ensure revenue growth consistently outpaces cost growth.
Commercial cooperation agreements are essential. What strategic criteria does Royal Jordanian use to evaluate new partnerships, codeshares or expanded memberships, and how can these collaborations strengthen the airline’s global presence in priority markets?
Royal Jordanian has been a proud member of the oneworld alliance for many years. Through this alliance , and deep partnerships with airlines like American Airlines , we offer more than 140 destinations in North and South America via Chicago and Dallas. This dramatically expands our target markets. Our aim is to leverage our strong Levant presence to attract new cooperation partners from currently unserved markets.
Tourism to Jordan is growing steadily. What role does Royal Jordanian’s commercial strategy play in supporting this momentum, and how do you collaborate with national tourism stakeholders to increase connectivity, visibility and demand from international markets?
Tourism has been a core element of RJ’s growth strategy for the past four years. We work closely with the Jordan Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism to stimulate inbound tourism. Our partnerships with over 500 tour operators worldwide reflect this priority, and our competitive package fares are designed specifically to attract travelers to Jordan.
Sustainability is now a foundational pillar of air transport. How does Royal Jordanian integrate responsible practices into its commercial policy, especially regarding sustainable aviation fuels, fleet modernization, efficiency and transparent communication with customers and global partners?
Sustainability: Through our full fleet renewal — with 20 new narrow-body aircraft and 4 new wide- bodies — we have reduced our carbon footprint by approximately 32%, demonstrating our commitment to environmental responsibility. Additionally, we promote sustainable eco-tourism within ExploRJordan, as sustainability extends beyond aviation and into the tourism ecosystem of Jordan.
The onboard experience defines perceptions and loyalty. What product, service or entertainment upgrades is Royal Jordanian promoting to elevate perceived quality and strengthen passengers’ emotional connection with a historic brand deeply tied to the national identity?
Our aim is to deliver a truly authentic, modern, and contemporary Arabian experience onboard, aligned with the XRJ positioning and our mission to showcase Jordan’s identity. Our new cabins feature modern leather seats, the latest inflight entertainment systems, and onboard Wi-Fi. Even in catering, we integrate elements of Jordan’s culinary heritage — including serving Jordanian wines — to enhance the cultural connection.
In an environment marked by regulatory changes and economic fluctuations, how does Royal Jordanian anticipate commercial risks, and what analytical tools does your team use to adjust planning, mitigate impacts and maintain resilience in the face of potential adverse scenarios?
The Levant has been heavily affected by geopolitical instability over the past two years, resulting in fluctuating demand. Despite this, we improved productivity through higher seat load factors and aircraft utilization driven by strong commercial efficiency. We rely on advanced planning, scheduling tools, and a powerful revenue-management forecasting system that enables accurate traffic predictions. As a result, we consistently achieve our targeted performance KPIs.
Developing commercial talent is essential. Which skills do you consider most relevant for teams in sales, marketing and revenue management, and how does Royal Jordanian ensure the promotion of leadership, innovation and strategic vision within the organization?
As we pursue significant growth — aiming to double passenger numbers within our five-year plan — we are continuously seeking local talent. Success requires analytical thinking, teamwork, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure quick decision-making and a strong speed-to-market approach. Alongside our growth strategy, corporate culture transformation remains a priority, with a strong focus on empowering younger generations within the company.
To conclude on a more personal note, what inspires you in your daily work as Chief Commercial Officer of Royal Jordanian, what values guide your decisions, and how do you envision your contribution to the airline’s future growth and global consolidation?
I am an aviation enthusiast with more than 32 years of experience across eight airlines, including startups and restructuring environments. I am driven by change and committed to achieving the highest standards in every organization. At Royal Jordanian, I am inspired by the opportunity to transfer the knowledge I gained in Europe and the Gulf to a talented and ambitious young workforce. Aviation is my passion — its complexity, dynamism, and constant evolution motivate me every day.
To conclude this interview, we would like to express our sincere thanks for the generosity, clarity, and strategic vision with which you have shared your experience and insights. Your contributions help us better understand not only the current challenges facing the aviation sector, but also the decisive role that national airlines play in connectivity, tourism competitiveness, and the international positioning of a country in an increasingly demanding and dynamic global environment.
On behalf of Antonio Santos del Valle, President of the Tourism and Society Think Tank, and our entire international community of tourism professionals, we extend our appreciation and gratitude for the time you have dedicated to this conversation. We also reiterate our strong interest in exploring avenues of collaboration with Royal Jordanian, firmly convinced that joint work between airlines, institutions, and strategic think tanks is essential to foster sustainable and innovative tourism development aligned with the major economic and social challenges of our time.
We trust that this dialogue will mark the beginning of a cooperative relationship aimed at strengthening air connectivity, supporting the country’s development, and contributing to the consolidation of its links with other destinations and markets around the world, generating opportunities, knowledge exchange, and positive impact for both the industry and society as a whole.
The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of Tourism and Society Think Tank and do not commit the Organization, and should not be attributed to TSTT or its members.
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