The medium-haul aircraft, JY-RAZ (c/n 3926), can carry 14 pallet/container positions on the main deck and ten on the lower-deck. Total payload is 28 tonnes and range is around 1,900nm. It is the Gulf carrier’s first freighter since it phased out its last Airbus A310-300, JY-AGQ, in July 2023.
The A321 leased by Royal Jordanian from BBAM was built in 2009 and previously flew with BMI British Midland and British Airways (BA) as G-MEDU. BA withdrew the jet from use in 2020 and, following storage at Glasgow and Madrid, it was flown to Singapore in 2023 for freighter conversion by the Elbe Flugzeugwerke/ST Engineering joint venture. The aircraft arrived in Amman on March 21 after transiting from Singapore via Mumbai and Abu Dhabi.
The new freighter is part of Royal Jordanian’s wider plan to strengthen its presence in the region, with a second A321P2F set to be delivered next year. Additionally, the airline has opened a new cargo terminal in Amman and the A321 is part of a wider fleet renewal that will see further A320/A321neo aircraft, Embraer E190-E2/E195-E2 regional jets and Boeing 787-9s join the carrier.
