AMMAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Jordan will resume and expand low-cost air links with Europe from late August in a push to revive a tourism industry hit by regional tensions, officials said on Sunday.
Hungary's Wizz Air will restart its Budapest-Amman route on Aug. 26 with twice-weekly, year-round services, marking the gradual return of budget carriers to the kingdom.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Makram Al-Qaisi said on Sunday that the 2025/26 winter season will feature the largest network of low-cost flights to date, connecting Jordan with 18 European destinations via carriers including Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Eurowings.
According to the minister, four new routes to the Red Sea port of Aqaba, namely from Katowice and Warsaw in Poland, Bucharest in Romania, and Sofia in Bulgaria, are expected to reinforce the city's role as a hub for beach and winter tourism.
Jordan Tourism Board Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat said winter services will ramp up from Sept. 16 and run through March 2026, with plans to extend into the summer season. The return of budget flights is part of wider promotions to draw visitors to Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, Aqaba, and other sites.
Tourism revenue rose 11.9 percent in the first half of 2025 to about 3.67 billion U.S. dollars, official data showed.
