Jordan’s tourism ministry now expects low-cost flights to return in September or October 2026, a slip from the original July 1 restart date. Director General of the Jordan Tourism Board, Ramzi Al-Maaytah, said work is underway to resume budget carrier routes “during the months of September or October” in exclusive statements carried by Al-Ghad. Tourism Minister Imad Hijazeen said earlier July estimates fell through after regional conditions kept carriers on pause.
The restart matters. Low-cost flights previously brought more than 300,000 tourists and travelers to Jordan before they were halted during the regional escalation, Hijazeen said. Tourism income fell 3.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026 to $1.65 billion, the Central Bank of Jordan reported, against an 8.9 percent rise to $1.72 billion in the first quarter of 2025. By the end of May, five-month tourism revenue had recovered to approximately $2.8 billion, Central Bank Governor Adel Sharkas said, a sign the worst of the air-travel drag may already be passing.
September or October, Not July
Hijazeen and Al-Maaytah both put the new window in autumn. The Tourism Promotion Authority is treating the low-cost aviation file as a top priority for the next stage, Al-Maaytah told Al-Ghad, with a September or October restart as the working target.
Hijazeen’s language was blunter. Initial estimates had pointed to a July 1 restart, a date the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities flagged publicly in late May. The continuation of regional conditions, the minister said, forced the postponement to “next September or October.”
Low-cost flights are ‘coming back’ to Jordan.
Tourism Minister Imad Hijazeen said it bluntly to Al-Ghad last Thursday, putting the autumn window on the public record. Neither the Tourism Promotion Authority nor the ministry has named which carriers will fly first. Al-Maaytah said negotiations continue with airline partners directly.
The Knock-On That Hit Aviation
The suspension’s trigger, in Jordan’s telling, was the regional escalation that ran through 2025 and into early 2026. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has separately described February and March 2026 as a period of “regional political unrest” tied to “the escalation of the Israeli-Iranian air war.” Jordan itself stayed out of the fighting.
Hijazeen was direct about the cause. “The suspension of these flights came as a result of the repercussions of the American-Israeli war on one hand, and Iran on the other,” he said, “even though Jordan is far from the circle of conflict and enjoys political stability.”
European carriers pulled their routes at the height of the booking season. Jordan’s traditional budget names, Ryanair and Wizz Air, paused service to the kingdom and have only begun phased returns on specific cities. Their own restart announcements for some routes have already slipped past their original dates. The effect on inbound traffic has shown up clearly in the monthly income data.
What the Income Numbers Show
Jordan’s tourism accounts for a meaningful slice of national income, so the air-travel drag has shown up on the books. The Central Bank of Jordan’s monthly tourism income series, captured through the Department of Statistics, is the closest read on how the sector is doing.
March 2026 was a steep drop. Tourism income that month fell 5.4 percent to $410 million, the Central Bank reported, driven by a 20.3 percent fall from most nationalities. Only non-Jordanian Arab visitors rose, by 12.1 percent, a sign the disruption was concentrated in the European and other non-Arab source markets that budget carriers normally feed.
For the full quarter, the picture is softer but still in the red. Tourism income fell 3.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026 to $1.65 billion, against an 8.9 percent rise to $1.72 billion in the same period of 2025.
Net tourism income, after subtracting outbound travel by Jordanians and residents, declined 2.8 percent to $1.19 billion. Visitor site visits, a separate tracking series maintained by the ministry, reached 632,048 from the start of 2026 until April 25. Of those, 63 percent were non-Arab tourists, 33 percent Jordanians and 4 percent non-Jordanian Arabs, broadly matching the income breakdown.
Other Tools Beyond the Flight Push
The Tourism Promotion Authority is not waiting on airline decisions alone. Al-Maaytah said the Authority is pairing its work on the low-cost file with promotional campaigns rolled out during the World Cup matches, particularly Jordan’s national team games, which the Authority used to market the kingdom as “a distinguished tourist destination.” The Authority also points to the ministry’s digital welcome platform, Ahlan Jordan, as a parallel lever for putting the kingdom in front of arriving visitors.
At the kingdom’s main crossings, the ministry has moved staff. Border presence has been intensified in cooperation with relevant authorities to push the platform, hand out visitor information and improve the arrival experience. The aim is to convert the eventual flight resumption into faster spend by extending each visitor’s stay.
The Authority has also approved its 2026 action plan, budget and marketing strategy earlier this year. The plan directs the broader tourism push while talks with airlines continue.
What Jordan is putting behind the campaign:
- Petra and Wadi Rum, the cultural and natural anchors
- Aqaba on the Red Sea coast
- Jerash, Mukawir and Mount Nebo, the cultural and religious sites
- Festivals and events held across the governorates throughout the year
Why the Autumn Window Could Slip Further
The September or October window sits where the original July 1 restart slipped to. Hijazeen said the continuation of regional conditions forced the shift. The Q1 2026 Central Bank print shows the cost of waiting: a 20.3 percent year-on-year drop in March from most nationalities, exactly the visitors budget carriers usually carry.
Al-Maaytah, asked about the squeeze, pointed to a parallel fight against “intensifying regional competition” from neighbours with larger marketing budgets and “the rapid development in promotion programs” by other countries in the region. The Tourism Promotion Authority’s job, he said, is to keep partnerships and marketing channels active while carriers and governments negotiate. A September restart would still leave budget seats offline through the peak European summer travel window. The carriers that flew before the pause, including Ryanair and Wizz Air, have only begun phased returns on specific routes. Until specific carriers are publicly named and route dates confirmed, the autumn window stays provisional.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will low-cost flights return to Jordan?
Tourism Minister Imad Hijazeen and Jordan Tourism Board Director General Ramzi Al-Maaytah both expect a return in September or October 2026. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities had publicly flagged July 1, 2026 as a restart date in late May. The shift to autumn was forced by the continuation of regional conditions, Hijazeen said.
Why were low-cost flights suspended?
Budget carriers pulled routes to Jordan during a period of regional military escalation. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has separately linked the disruption to the Israeli-Iranian air war during February and March 2026. Hijazeen, asked directly, blamed “the repercussions of the American-Israeli war on one hand, and Iran on the other,” while noting Jordan stays clear of the conflict.
How many tourists came to Jordan via low-cost flights?
More than 300,000 tourists and travelers, according to Hijazeen’s recent statements, a figure that places budget carriers among the kingdom’s largest single sources of inbound visitors before the suspensions.
How has the suspension affected tourism income?
Tourism income dropped 3.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026 to $1.65 billion, against a year-earlier rise of 8.9 percent. March was the steepest month, with income of $410 million and a 5.4 percent year-on-year drop. By May, five-month revenue had recovered to approximately $2.8 billion, Central Bank Governor Adel Sharkas said.
Will the autumn dates hold?
Hijazeen and Al-Maaytah have not publicly guaranteed the September or October window. The same regional conditions that pushed the July target back are still in play. Until airlines confirm their route restarts, the autumn dates sit open to change.
