A memorandum of understanding between Royal Jordanian, a oneworld carrier, and MK Airlines, represented through its regional agent Gulf European Development Company (GEDCO), was signed on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2009, on May 17, to jointly develop air freight services through Jordan and the Levant.

RJ President/CEO Samer Majali and Chairman of MK Airlines Dr. Abdullah Alanizi signed the memorandum, which highlights the intention of the two companies to cooperate to improve fleet utilization by complementing each other’s route networks, air freight handling equipments and mutual expertise.

Majali expressed satisfaction for working with MK Airlines, one of the leading air freight companies in the world. He also said that RJ is looking for further cooperation in this vital sector, pushing investment forward in the Arab countries in general.

He added that  the two companies will be working on feeding the capacity of RJ's Airbus A310s and MK Airlines' Boeing 747s and B767s, optimizing costs through joint utilization of each company's facilities, in particular for cargo handling.

Alanizi said that the companies will expand the memorandum of understanding through Special Prorate and Block Space Agreements in various sectors. He also said that meetings will be held regularly between the two companies in order to discuss and implement opportunities and review milestones and performances.

He stressed that the cooperation will be extended to produce handling, a particular area of expertise of MK Airlines, leaders in uplift of perishables like flowers and fish from many major markets in Africa.

MK Airlines is a cargo airline registered in the United Kingdom providing worldwide freight operations. Its main base is Ostend-Bruges International Airport, Belgium. It operates cargo services throughout the world, in several hubs at major international airports.