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Aer Lingus’ new Dublin route represents Indiana’s only direct-to-Europe route.
Royal Jordanian, KLM and Aer Lingus are expanding their transatlantic networks.
AMMAN-WASHINGTON
Royal Jordanian is moving into a market recently vacated by United Airlines. Starting March 23, 2025, the carrier will operate two flights per week between Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) and Washington Dulles (IAD). The 5,949-mi. (5,170-nm) route will be served by Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
The move follows United’s decision to suspend its 3X-weekly service on the same route in August 2024. The Star Alliance member had launched flights between the cities in May 2022 but cited safety concerns and low demand as reasons for discontinuing the service.
Royal Jordanian’s entry to the Washington market complements its existing nonstop U.S. flights to Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
According to Sabre Market Intelligence data, O&D traffic between Washington and Amman totaled 40,000 two-way passengers in 2023, marking a rise of 6.5% over 2019. Looking at the flow of traffic on United’s service from IAD to AMM, about 78% of passengers who flew to Jordan’s capital started their journey from destinations behind Washington. While Royal Jordanian will not have this connectivity beyond IAD, it will have the benefit of feed from destinations it serves behind Amman.
The launch of flights to Washington comes as Royal Jordanian continues to expand its network. Despite the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the airline has introduced routes to London Stansted and Manchester in England and resumed services to Berlin and Düsseldorf in Germany.
The oneworld alliance member is also pushing ahead with a fleet renewal plan, with six 787-9s currently on order that will effectively double its widebody capacity. Five Embraer E2s have also been delivered over the past year from a batch of eight on order.
AMSTERDAM-SAN DIEGO
KLM is set to expand its intercontinental network during the summer 2025 season, introducing new routes to points in Guyana, India, and the US.
The first of the three new services will see flights between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) start on May 8, operating three times per week using 787-9s. The Californian city will become the airline’s 22nd destination in North America.
San Diego has two nonstop connections to Europe at the present time, with direct flights to London Heathrow (LHR) and Munich (MUC). However, none of KLM’s transatlantic joint venture partners—Air France, Delta Air Lines or Virgin Atlantic—serve the market.
British Airways (BA) began operating LHR-SAN flights in June 2011, increasing the route to twice daily in April 2024 for the summer season. Lufthansa entered the MUC-SAN market in March 2022, initially operating five flights per week before expanding to daily service in summer 2024.
According to Sabre data, San Diego-London was the largest city pair during 2023, attracting some 104,000 two-way passengers. Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Barcelona completed the top five largest O&D markets.
KLM’s route addition comes as SAN continues the redevelopment of its Terminal 1. Work started in 2021, and the first phase of the $3.8 billion project is scheduled to open in late summer. This will include 19 new gates.
DUBLIN-INDIANAPOLIS
Aer Lingus will begin flying to Indianapolis this summer, making it the second US destination that will be served by the airline’s new Airbus A321XLRs.
This move is part of the airline’s strategy to expand its network by opening routes to secondary cities using the new long-range narrowbody. The carrier, part of International Airlines Group, will initially have a fleet of six A321XLRs.
Flights connecting Dublin Airport (DUB) and Indianapolis International Airport (IND) will begin on May 3, operating four times per week. It will become the sole nonstop link between Indiana and Europe, with onward connections to 20 destinations, including Paris, London, and Frankfurt.
Indianapolis has been without nonstop flights to Europe since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 when Delta Air Lines suspended its route to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG).
Air service analysis carried out by IND shows an average of 545 passengers travel from the Indianapolis area to European destinations daily. By attracting Indiana’s new year-round transatlantic flight, the Indianapolis Airport Authority estimates that this new air service could have a more than $50 million annual impact on Indiana’s economy.
Indiana is home to more than 1,090 foreign-owned businesses, including 52 from Ireland. Additionally, Indianapolis-headquartered Eli Lilly recently announced a $1.8 billion investment into its two Irish facilities.
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