Royal Jordanian Airlines plans to launch a new flight between Amman and Lagos before the end of this year and the arrival of its third Airbus A330 on July 28 will help provide the capacity to fulfill its network ambitions. The aircraft has been acquired on a long-term operating lease until January 2017 and will provide the short-term capacity to bridge the gap before the arrival of the carrier’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner: the first of eleven is due in early 2014. It will also enable Royal Jordanian to retire its older A310s from service in the near future.

The airline confirms that the aircraft will initially be introduced on its four times weekly Amman – Colombo route from August 1. However, when this service is upgraded to the larger A340 for the Northern Winter schedule, the additional A330 will be used to expand the airline’s network potentially launching flights to the Nigerian capital Lagos before the end of the year, a route the carrier has been studying for the last 12 months.

Royal Jordanian introduced its first two A330s into service in May 2010 and now using the type on links to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and London. The aircraft are all configured for 283 passengers with 24 Crown Business Class and 259 Economy seats.