Oneworld alliance member Royal Jordanian has introduced further links into Africa this month with the inauguration of air services between Queen Alia International Airport in Amman and Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria and Accra, the capital of Ghana. The new network additions raise the number of Royal Jordanian destinations to 61 spanned over four continents.

The twice weekly flight, which routes Amman – Lagos – Accra – Lagos – Amman, was originally planned to commence on June 19, 2013 but was officially launched on July 3, 2013. It is being operated using a 280-seat Airbus A330. The growth supports Royal Jordanian’s strategy to find new tourism and travel markets in different countries around the world in order to boost inbound tourism to the Kingdom and to generate more revenues for the airline. This follows a decline in tourism movement from the traditional markets of Europe and North America due to the political instability across the Middle East these past three years.

The carrier believes the new destinations will attract large numbers of Muslim pilgrims who wish to continue their flights to Saudi Arabia to conduct Hajj and Umrah, and those who like to visit the shrines and tombs of Prophet Mohammad’s companions before they proceed on their religious journey. The service will also transport Christian pilgrims who come to Jordan to visit the Baptism site and other Christian holy sites in Jordan and the Middle East, it forecasts.

It also believes the route will serve medical tourism demand as Jordan is renowned for its high-standard medical treatment, help develop investment opportunities in Jordan and thus help develop economic and trade relations and provide feed other Royal Jordanian routes across the Gulf nations.