SAUDI ARABIA: Airlines Lease More Planes To Counter Increasing Pilgrims

Airlines around the region are leasing additional aircraft to cater for expected increase in Hajj pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia this season.

Flynas, Saudi Arabia’s first low-cost airline, expects the number of Hajj passengers using the airline this year to rise almost 10 percent to 200,000, according to an airline spokesperson, , up from 175,000 in 2018.

A Flynas spokesperson said that Hajj passengers will be flown from 17 countries using 13 additional leased aircraft.

Among the aircraft being used to transport pilgrims to Saudi Arabia are two Airbus A380s, which were recently used to transport Malaysian pilgrims from Kuala Lampur to King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz airport in Madinah.

Flynas is the first Saudi airline to utilise the A380.

Other leased aircraft used by Flynas this season include Boeing 747 and 767s, as well as – for the first time – Airbus A330neo aircraft.

Flynas signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus to purchase 20 A321XLR and A4321LR aircraft which have a long-range operational performance of up to 11 hours – 8,700 kilometres – in addition to fuel consumption savings of 30 percent.

Flynas said that the aircraft will allow the airline to take better advantage of upcoming Hajj and Umrah seasons as it works to realise its long-term goal of transporting 5 million pilgrims annually.

Airlines have announced additional aircraft for the Hajj season as pilgrim numbers rise.

In July, Saudia announced that it had added 17 aircraft to its 165-aircraft fleet to help transport 1.2 million domestic and foreign pilgrims from approximately 100 destinations for Hajj season.

According to Saudia, the number of pilgrims it expects to transport this year has risen by about 10 percent compared to 2018.

In the UAE, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said it will operate 15 extra flights between July 28 and August 25 to transport pilgrims to Madinah, in addition to six charter flights dedicated to the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Zayed Foundation and Abu Dhabi police.

This year we expect 25,000 Hajj travellers on our flights, with most originating in Australia, Pakistan, Morocco, United Kingdom, India and Indonesia, Houssam Weiss, head of UAE sales at Etihad Airways said recently.

Dubai carrier Emirates airline has expanded its services to Jeddah and Madinah with an additional 46 flights between July 27 and August 22, running in parallel to scheduled services to the two cities.

Although the airline declined to give expected passenger numbers, it has said it expects thousands from destinations including Pakistan, the United States, Senegal, the UK, Nigeria, Indonesia, South Africa and Ivory Coast.

In Bahrain, national carrier Gulf Air has announced 38 extra flights in addition to its regularly scheduled 3 to 4 daily flights to Jeddah and 7 weekly flights to Madinah.

In nearby Kuwait, Director General of Civil Aviation Yousif Al-Fawazan told local media that six Kuwait Airways aircraft are expected to transport 1,336 passengers for the Hajj season.

Emirates has announced that it will add 46 flights to facilitate pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Haj.

The expansion of flights will operate from July 27 to August 22 to support the Haj journey to the city of Mecca.

Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, commercial operations for the Gulf, Middle East and Iran said: Haj is one of the most significant events in the Muslim faith, and every year, Emirates’ primary focus is to help facilitate seamless travel for our Haj passengers as they converge on the Holy city of Mecca for this once in a lifetime journey.

The services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah and Medina, and will be available to travellers holding a valid Hajj visa.

With the substantial increase of inbound air travel into the Kingdom during this period, Emirates’ 46 extra flights will ensure that we can cater to that demand, as well as provide tailored onboard services in line with the tenets of Hajj, said Al Ghaith.

This year, Emirates expects thousands of pilgrims to travel on its services for Hajj, coming from top inbound destinations such as Pakistan, the United States, Senegal, the UK, Nigeria, Indonesia, South Africa and Ivory Coast.

To ease the journey for Haj passengers, Emirates has commissioned a dedicated team to manage check-in and transfers for the seamless movement of travellers leaving from and transiting in Dubai.

On flights from Jeddah, Haj passengers can also bring up to five litres of Zamzam holy water which will be placed in special areas in the cargo hold.

Once up in the air, Haj travellers will benefit from special services to performing ablutions and other cleansing rituals, and will also be notified when they enter Al Miqat zones to ensure readiness for Ihram, the point when pilgrims enter a state of purity.


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BAHRAIN: Gulf Air Acquires First 787 Dreamliner

Boeing and Gulf Air celebrated the delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner for the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The airplane also debuts the carrier’s new livery.

This delivery is a historic moment for Gulf Air and Bahrain and yet another important step in our strategic direction towards furthering Gulf Air’s fleet modernization process and supporting our network and overall passenger experience enhancement strategies, said Kresimir Kucko, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Air.

The 787-9 Dreamliner orders will ensure we maintain one of the youngest fleets in the region while building upon our award-winning reliability, on time performance and product and service standards, Kucko said.

Gulf Air is set to take delivery of four more Dreamliners this year.

The airline plans to introduce the 787 on its twice-daily service between Bahrain and London Heathrow before deploying the long-range efficient jet on other routes.

Gulf Air joins the growing number of airlines operating the 787 Dreamliner across the Middle East, said Marty Bentrott, Vice President, Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, for Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Central Asia and Africa.

The demand for the Dreamliner underlines the operational efficiency and travel experience that the airplane brings to the airline and its passengers.

Boeing has delivered more than 670 787s since deliveries began in 2011.

The 787 fleet has flown more than 240 million passengers while saving over 23 billion pounds of fuel and enabling airlines to open more than 180 new nonstop routes around the world.

The first Gulf Air 787 painted in the airline’s new livery recently flew a special mission to the airline’s home base to perform a fly pass over the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Formula 1 race fans were treated to a dramatic aerial display prior to the start of the championship race.


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BAHRAIN: Gulf Air Improves Cybersecurity With New Innovations

Gulf Air has introduced a cybersecurity step-change as part of an ongoing campaign to safeguard its operations and deliver industry-leading customer service.

Bahrain's national carrier has reinforced its network perimeter to pre-empt and combat Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, improve data centre and application-level security and further enhance data and access protection measures.

A key component of Gulf Air’s DDoS strategy is the deployment of the F5 DDoS Hybrid Defender.

Gulf Air was keen to select a solution with an industry-leading, multi-layered defence mechanism against both blended network attacks and sophisticated application attacks.

The DDoS Hybrid Defender’s features include full SSL decryption, anti-bot capabilities, and advanced detection methods. This ensures high line rate capabilities without impacting legitimate traffic.

Crucially, the solution is compatible with Gulf Air’s current perimeter security controls to minimise maintenance efforts.

Combating DDoS attacks requires a purpose-built system-level architecture that detects and mitigates increasingly sophisticated, complex and deceptive attacks, said Dr. Jassim Haji, director of Information Technology, Gulf Air.

The solution delivers instantaneous controls and security measures against complex threats, exploits, saturation attacks, with an in-depth security mechanism that inspects application-layer events.

It offers protection at all layers, protecting protocols – including those employing SSL and TLS encryption – as well as stopping DDoS bursts, randomized HTTP floods, cache bypass, and other attacks that can disrupt Gulf Air’s critical applications.

Gulf Air’s new DDoS capabilities fits into a wider digital transformation vision that was recently underscored by becoming the world’s first airline to achieve seven IT ISO certifications.

In 2012, it became the first business in Bahrain to introduce private cloud computing.

Technology is at the forefront of Gulf Air’s recent resurgence which has been driven by a number of major cost saving initiatives.

Gulf Air is always thriving by deploying state of the art technological solutions according to the latest trends that swipe the aviation industry, and has been awarded in several international and regional forums. Moreover, it is the first airline in the world to receive seven ISO certificates in Information Technology.

Gulf Air’s DDoS Hybrid Defender is the latest in a long line of F5 deployments over the past eight years.

Other Application Delivery Controller (ADC) solutions in use include F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (to simplify, automate, and customise application delivery) and F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager a flexible, high-performance access and security solution that provides unified global access to applications and the network.

In addition, F5 BIG-IP Link Controller manages and reroutes connections based on link type and quality, ensuring a better user experience and reducing downtime.

As well as improving overall operational efficiency and slashing total cost of ownership (TCO), F5’s solutions will scale to handle Gulf Air’s future growth trajectory, enabling the airline to tap into the benefits of emerging technologies such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Software-Defined Storage (SDS).

Gulf Air currently runs over 200 applications online supported by F5 technology, including email services, reservation systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) and Electronic Flight Bag, eEnablement setup for newly introduced aircrafts.

We made a strategic decision to partner with F5 because they are consistently ranked as one of the top leaders in enterprise security, said Dr. Hajj.

F5 has also successfully provisioned crucial services to our users and customers in an efficient and secure manner for the past eight years.

We are now proud to announce that we can protect the Gulf Air network from possible threats that are initiated from legitimate secure traffic based on behaviour, rather than relying on traditional security measures.

Taj El Khayat, Gulf, Levant & North Africa director, F5 Networks, said: “We are extremely proud of our long-standing relationship with Gulf Air, which is a case in point for how forward-looking, app-centric planning – combined with robust business objectives – can yield genuinely transformational results.

F5 DDoS Hybrid Defender is not simply a collection of security point products but a tightly integrated system to defend against today’s most damaging DDoS attacks. We are delighted that it is already proving its operational value.”

SAUDI ARABIA: Gulf Air Targeting Saudi Arabia Travellers With Commercial Roadshow

Gulf Air recently hosted key members of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's travel trade industry at a networking event, aimed at informing guests of the airline's latest developments and customer-focused initiatives while thanking them for their longstanding support.

The event was hosted by Gulf Air’s Country Manager in Dammam, Hamed Khamdan with the support of the airline’s Saudi Arabia General Sales Agent, Al Tayyar Travel and Tourism Group.

Gulf Air launched passenger facilities including: prepaid seat selection, excess baggage and lounge access – all aimed at making travel even more comfortable for passengers while giving them greater control to manage various add-ons pre-travel.

Additionally, the airline recently rolled out online flight status and online group bookings facilities aimed at giving passengers more access to relevant and time-critical information and to facilitating travel across the Gulf Air network for group travellers – respectively.

Among its upcoming initiatives, Gulf Air will soon be rolling out its dedicated holidays unit “Gulf Air Holidays” offering travellers a wide range of holiday packages and tailor-made travel solutions to destinations worldwide – both across the Gulf Air network and beyond.

The airline is also preparing to launch an online visa facility this summer that will support its longstanding efforts to promote the Kingdom of Bahrain as a destination to a broad spectrum of travellers while making the process of obtaining a short term visit visa to Bahrain easier and more convenient.



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BAHRAIN: Gulf Air Launches Flights To Tbilisi, Georgia

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, launched its highly anticipated direct 3 weekly service to the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

Commenting on the launch of Gulf Air’s newest destination, Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Maher Salman Al Musallam said: I am delighted Gulf Air is directly connecting Bahrain and Georgia and witnessing such high demand as we commence operations is a positive indication of what is to come.

I look forward to seeing passengers from across the GCC and MENA region fly with us, enjoying the Gulf Air product and service offering en-route to experiencing the diverse appeal of this destination.

Gulf Air’s direct 3 weekly flights between Bahrain and Georgia are supplemented by, this week and due to high passenger demand, two additional flights that will operate on 23rd and 25th June 2017.

Bahrain’s national carrier operates double daily flights or more to 10 regional cities, providing seamless connectivity for passengers travelling across its network via its efficient Bahrain International Airport hub.

Gulf Air tickets can be purchased via the airline’s official website gulfair.com, or any Gulf Air sales offices and approved travel agencies.

Gulf Air is the principal flag carrier of Bahrain. Headquartered in Muharraq,adjacent to Bahrain International Airport,the airline operates scheduled services to 41 destinations in 23 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport.

In 1973 the governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Sultanate of Oman agreed to purchase the BOAC Associated Companies holding in Gulf Aviation.The Foundation Treaty was signed on 1 January 1974 and gave each government a 25% shareholding in Gulf Aviation, which became a holding company. The operating company was now branded as Gulf Air and became the flag carrier for the four states.

With leased Lockheed L-1011 Tristar and Boeing 737 aircraft joining the fleet, by 1976 Gulf Air had expanded its route network to include Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Baghdad, Bombay, Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo, Colombo, Delhi, Dhaka, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Karachi, Khartoum, Larnaca, Manila, Paris, Ras al-Khaimah and Sana'a.

The fleet comprised four Vickers VC10, three BAC One-Elevens, two Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 200s and five Boeing 737–200s. In 1978, the airline doubled the Tristar fleet to replace the VC10s. Meanwhile, the airline increased the Boeing 737 fleet to nine and phased out the One-Elevens.

The 1980s saw an increase in air travel and growth for Gulf Air. In 1981, Gulf Air became an IATA member, and in the following year became the first international airline to land at Riyadh. In 1985, Emirates, the startup national carrier of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, began operating, and would later become a major rival of Gulf Air.

In 1988, Boeing 767s joined the fleet, and the airline launched service to Frankfurt, Istanbul, Damascus, Dar es Salaam, Fujairah and Nairobi, and resumed service to Shiraz and Baghdad.

Gulf Air celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1990. The light-blue and peach Balenciaga-designed uniform was introduced. Services to Singapore, Sydney and Thiruvananthapuram were launched, Gulf Air thereby becoming the first Arab airline to fly to Australia.

Gulf Air added services to Johannesburg and Melbourne in 1992, becoming the first Arab airline to fly directly to these cities. In 1993, it opened a flight-simulator centre in Qatar, and introduced service to Casablanca, Entebbe, Jakarta, Kilimanjaro, Madras, Rome, San'a', Zanzibar and Zürich.

In May 1994, Gulf Air received its first Airbus A340-300. A no-smoking policy was established in 1998 on flights to Singapore and Australia, which was later extended through its whole network. In 1999, Gulf Air launched three new routes in northern Pakistan: Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar. It also took delivery of two out of six Airbus A330-200 aircraft, and introduced a new Balmain uniform.[The Gulf Air website opened in January 1997.

In 2000, the airline celebrated its 50th anniversary. It took delivery of the remaining Airbus A330-200 aircraft in June, and launched service to Milan.

In May 2002, James Hogan became President and CEO of Gulf Air and instigated a restructuring and turnaround programme in response to a drastic fall in profits and increasing debt. The Gulf Air board unanimously approved the three-year plan at an extraordinary general meeting held on 18 December.

1 August 2002 the State of Qatar announced intentions to withdraw from Gulf Air. The state remained a member state for a six-month period after announcing the intention to withdraw.

In 2003, Gulf Air introduced a new Landor Associates-designed livery and, in June, established Gulf Traveller, a subsidiary, all-economy, full-service airline. It also announced a sponsorship deal for the Bahrain Grand Prix through 2010, creating the Gulfair Bahrain Grand Prix, of which the first was staged in 2004. The airline also introduced daily flights to Athens and Sydney via Singapore on 23 November 2003.

In 2004, Gulf Air introduced direct flights between Dubai and London, Muscat and London, and a daily service between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. The airline carried a record 7.5 million passengers during that year.Gulf Air's sponsorship of the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix continued, with a record race crowd and a global TV audience. The airline announced a return to profit, with the best financial performance since 1997.

Despite a BD30 million (US$80 million) cost to the business through fuel price rises during the year, Gulf Air recorded a profit of BD1.5 million (US$4.0 million) in the calendar year to December 2004, on revenues up 23.8% to BD476.3 million (US$1.26 billion) (2003: BD 384.6 million / USD1,020.2 million). The results meant the airline out-performed the targets set under Project Falcon, the three-year restructuring plan approved by the Board in December 2002.

The owner states of Gulf Air at that time—the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the Sultanate of Oman—confirmed their support for further expansion of the airline through a new three-year strategic plan which would include re-equipment of the aircraft fleet and recapitalization of the business through private-sector financing. Gulf Air was also placed on the IOSA registry following its successful completion of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

The new summer schedule commencing 28 April 2006 saw the complete withdrawal from Abu Dhabi as a hub, following the decision on 13 September 2005 by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to withdraw from Gulf Air and establish its own airline, Etihad Airways.

Gulf Air changed its operations to a dual-hub basis between Bahrain and Muscat airports. The airline ran a series of advertisements in local newspapers, thanking Abu Dhabi for its contribution to Gulf Air.

As the national carrier for the United Arab Emirates for over 35 years, it has a large customer base located in Abu Dhabi. Gulf Air endeavoured to show continuing support for flights to Abu Dhabi from Bahrain and Muscat, connecting to the rest of the Gulf Air network, via advertisements placed in local newspapers.

James Hogan resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer as of 1 October 2006,subsequently becoming CEO at rival airline Etihad. Ahmed Al Hammadi was named acting chief executive officer, until Swiss national Andre Dose, the former chief executive officer of Crossair and Swiss International Air Lines, became CEO on 1 April 2007.

A few days later, Dose announced a BD310 million (USD825 million) restructuring plan. This included originating or terminating all flights in Bahrain; ceasing routes to Johannesburg, Dublin, Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney; eliminating all Boeing 767s and Airbus A340-300s from the fleet; introducing the Airbus A321 in July 2007 and the Airbus A330-300 in 2009; and potentially terminating employment based on performance, and without regard for nationality.

This led to some employees applying for jobs in other airlines and, in less than a month, Gulf Air lost 500 persons from its workforce, prompting the airline to rule out mass layoffs as part of its recovery plan, except for performance reasons.

On 5 May 2007, the government of Bahrain claimed full ownership of the airline, as joint-owner Oman withdrew from the airline.Andre Dose resigned on 23 July 2007 and was replaced by Bjorn Naf. On 6 November 2007, Gulf Air started its third daily non-stop flight to London Heathrow Airport from Bahrain. On the same day, Gulf Air became fully owned by Bahrain.

The airline inaugurated services to Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 16 June 2008,the route was terminated on 25 December 2009. It also placed orders with Boeing for 24 787s and Airbus for 15 A320s and 20 A330s to upgrade its fleet.

The airline's last commercial Boeing 767 flight was on 29 May 2008. On 3 July 2008, Gulf Air was announced as the official sponsor of London association football club, Queens Park Rangers. The same year, Gulf Air signed a lease agreement for five aircraft with International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) as part of its growth and expansion strategy. The lease was for six years for two Airbus A319s and three Airbus A330-200s, due for delivery in March, April and May 2009.

In March 2009, Gulf Air signed a 42-month lease agreement with Jet Airways for four Boeing 777-300ERs, but the aircraft were returned to Jet Airways starting in September 2009. In May, Gulf Air inaugurated summer seasonal flights to Alexandria, Aleppo and Salalah. On 1 September 2009, Gulf Air resumed flights to Baghdad. Services to Najaf and Erbil began shortly afterward.

Starting June 2009, Gulf Air's Golden Falcon logo was seen on the streets of London, emblazoned on the side of the city's taxi cabs, as part a two-year marketing deal. Fifty Hackney Carriages were to be rolled out in full Gulf Air livery to promote the airline's flights from London Heathrow to Bahrain and beyond.

Later in June, the carrier announced the departure of CEO Bjorn Naf and the appointment of Samer Majali,who worked previously for Royal Jordanian as CEO effective 1 August 2009.

On 1 March 2010, Gulf Air launched its new "Falcon Gold" cabin, a single premium cabin that is aimed at offering higher standards of comfort for the standard premium price. As of August 2011, the new Flat Beds were installed on all aircraft except short-haul aircraft.

On 5 September 2011, Gulf Air appointed Dr. Jassim Haji as Director of Information Technology, reporting directly to the CEO of the airline.

In 2011, Gulf Air temporarily suspended flights to Iran, Iraq and Lebanon during the height of the Bahraini uprising. The airline originally was to resume service to Iran from November 2012, but cancelled the plan as it was unable to receive approval from the Iranian authorities. Flights to Iran resumed in March 2014.

In November 2012, Gulf Air phased out its last Airbus A340-300. At the end of November 2012, it was announced that Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali's resignation had been accepted by the Board of Directors. Majali left by the end of 2012, after serving the company for three years.Maher Salman Al Musallam was the acting CEO of Gulf Air until May 2016, when he was officially appointed to the role.

At the Bahrain Airshow in January 2016, Gulf Air ordered 17 A321neo and 12 A320neo aircraft for delivery from June 2018, and cancelled a commitment to acquire six A330-300 aircraft. In addition, the airline also announced an restructured order for 16 Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The new order of 16 Boeing 787-9 aircraft replaced an existing order for 16 of the smaller Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

Gulf Traveller was the all-economy full service subsidiary airline of Gulf Air. Its main base was Abu Dhabi International Airport.It was briefly relocated between Bahrain and Muscat airports after Abu Dhabi pulled out of the Gulf Air consortium in 2005, and in May 2007 Oman also pulled out of the group leaving Bahrain as sole owner of Gulf Air. Gulf Traveller has since been disbanded due to these changes.

In 2011, due largely to political unrest in the state of Bahrain, Gulf Air lost BHD95 million (USD250 million),and in 2012, the loss grew to BHD196 million (USD520 million).In response, a decision was taken in 2013 to implement a turnaround plan that involved reducing the airline's fleet, number of staff and number of destinations.

In subsequent years the losses reduced, and in 2015, the loss reported was BHD24.1 million (USD63.9 million), an 88% reduction from 2012.

Gulf Air sponsors events, of which the most prestigious is the Bahrain Grand Prix. This is usually the first or fourth race of the Formula One season, and is held in March or April. Gulf Air was also the first ever shirt sponsor of Chelsea F.C. in 1983 and 1984.More recently, it was shirt sponsor of Queens Park Rangers F.C. from 2008 to 2011. It also sponsors the Bahrain International Airshow

As of January 2017, Gulf Air flies to 41 international destinations in 23 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe from its hub at Bahrain International Airport.Gulf Air's own Falcon Gold lounge could be found at the airports of Bahrain, Dubai and London–Heathrow.

Gulf Air has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

- American Airlines

- EgyptAir

- Pakistan International Airlines

- Royal Jordanian


23 September 1983: Gulf Air Flight 771 was a flight from Karachi, Pakistan to Qatar via Abu Dhabi. While the Boeing 737-200 was on approach to Abu Dhabi International Airport, a bomb exploded in the baggage compartment. The aircraft crashed in the desert near Mina Jebel Ali between Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE.

All seven crew members and 105 passengers died. Most of the fatalities were Pakistani nationals, many returning to jobs in the Gulf after spending the Eid ul-Adha holiday with their families in Pakistan. The bomb was apparently planted by the Abu Nidal Organization, to pressure the Gulf States to pay protection money to Nidal so as to avoid attacks on their soil.

23 August 2000: Gulf Air Flight 072 crashed into the Persian Gulf on approach to Bahrain International Airport from Cairo. The Airbus A320, with 143 passengers and crew on board, approached the landing at higher speeds than normal, and carried out an unusual low altitude orbit in an attempt to correct the approach.

The orbit was unsuccessful and a go-around was attempted. While carrying out a turning climb the aircraft entered a descent at 15 degrees nose down. The aircrew did not respond to repeated GPWS warnings and approximately one minute after starting the go-around the aircraft disappeared from radar screens.

All 143 passengers and crew, including 36 children, were killed in the accident.The accident investigation concluded that the primary cause of the crash was pilot error,including spatial disorientation, with a secondary factor being systemic organizational and oversight issues.

Flight 072 was the highest death toll of any accident involving an Airbus A320 at that time. It was subsequently surpassed by TAM Airlines Flight 3054, which crashed on 17 July 2007 with 199 fatalities.

On 29 August 2011: Gulf Air Flight 270, using an Airbus A320-214, from Bahrain to Cochin carrying 143 people, skidded off the runway on landing due to pilot error of loss of situational awareness during reduced visibility conditions. The weather was poor with heavy rain and strong winds. The aircraft was badly damaged with nose gear collapsed and seven passengers were injured. Some people were reported to have jumped from an emergency exit when the evacuation slide failed to deploy.

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GULF REGION: Uncertainty In Gulf Aviation, Over 100 Planes Grounded Or Delayed, Passengers Stranded

Dozens of Qatar Airways flights grounded as four nations close airspace, triggering fears for future of Gulf aviation.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft on Tuesday amid a deepening diplomatic row, forcing Qatar's flag carrier to re-route its flights over Iran, Turkey and Oman.

The decision by the four Arab nations to sever diplomatic ties and cut off sea and air links with Qatar has caused major disruptions to air travel across the Gulf and raised fears for the future of aviation in the region - home to several of the world's major long-haul carriers.

The countries that launched the measures against Qatar have accused it of supporting terrorism, a claim Qatar has called unjustified.

More than 70 flights were grounded across the region on Tuesday, according to data from scheduling firm OAG. A majority of the flights belong to Qatar Airways.

Other airlines affected include Dubai's Emirates, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, Saudi Arabia's Saudia, and Bahrain's Gulf Air, which have all cancelled flights to and from Doha.

Alexandre de Juniac, the director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed concern over the blockade and called for more openness.

We would like borders to be reopened, the sooner the better, he told reporters at the group's annual meeting in the Mexican city of Cancun on Monday. Aviation is globalisation at its very best.

The departure terminal at Doha's Hamad International Airport was virtually deserted early on Tuesday. More than 30 flights were shown as cancelled on airport television screens.

Qatar Airways, in a statement on its website, said passengers holding a confirmed ticket to any of the four Arab nations between June 5 and July 6 are permitted to rebook their flights up to 30 days after their current departure date.

The airline said its offices would continue to operate as normal in affected countries.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation, however, revoked the airline's license on Tuesday and ordered its offices to be closed within 48 hours.

Qatar Airways could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, many of the airlines' passengers were complaining online of delays in rebooking and obtaining refunds.

Analysts said the altered routes for Qatar Airways flights will lead to longer flying time, lowering demand, thus affecting the airline's profits.

An image posted online by flight tracking group Flightradar24 showed the restricted routes Qatar Airways flights were taking because of the blockade. The aircraft were being forced to take a single flight path in out of Doha.

Many of Qatar Airways' flights to southern Europe and Africa pass through Saudi Arabia. Flights to Europe will most likely be rerouted through Iran and Turkey, Flightradar24 said. Flights to Africa may route via Iran and Oman and then south.

The CAPA Centre for Aviation in Melbourne, Australia, in a report on Monday, said the Gulf diplomatic crisis has dealt a blow to public confidence in aviation and may have a far-reaching impact on the region's airlines.

There can be few winners, the group said, adding that the crisis has already created wider uncertainty for Gulf aviation and passengers whose bookings are months away.

The row between Gulf states is a fresh challenge for the region's airlines at a time when US President Donald Trump is trying to restrict the travel of passengers to the US from some Muslim-majority countries.

US authorities have also banned the use of most electronic devices on board aircraft from some Gulf countries.

Amidst growing security concerns and the existing laptop ban, passengers are unlikely to dig in to the reason for this ban. Gulf aviation becomes less attractive for all, CAPA said.

IATA's De Juniac meanwhile said profits and passengers have fallen sharply in the Middle East in recent months.

There is growing evidence that the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin and the uncertainty created around possible US travel bans is taking a toll on some key routes, he said.

Kuwait is trying to mediate a regional crisis in which Arab countries have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and moved to isolate the energy-rich, travel-hub nation from the outside world, Qatar's foreign minister said.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday in a coordinated move, accusing the peninsula of supporting terrorists and Iran.

Yemen's internationally recognised government also cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of working with its enemies in the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

The Maldives and Libya's out-of-mandate Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni later joined the Arab nations in saying they too would cut ties.

Sanctions include shutting down transport links, including closing borders, airspace and maritime territories, which led to fears of supply shortages.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, had asked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's ruling emir, to hold off on giving a speech about the crisis late on Tuesday night.

He received a call from the emir of Kuwait asking him to postpone it in order to give time to solve the crisis, Sheikh Mohammed said.

Sheikh Sabah called on Qatar's ruler to focus on easing tension and advised against making decisions that could escalate the situation.

Still, the Qatari foreign minister struck a defiant tone, saying his nation rejected those trying to impose their will or intervene in its internal affairs.

There are many analysts who believe that a potential break-up of the GCC has to be considered right now.

He added that if tension escalates, some have warned of a military confrontation.

If these countries fail to resolve their issues and such tensions reaches new heights, we have to be very open to the possibility of these six Arab countries no longer being able to unite under the banner of one council.

The dispute between Qatar and the Arab countries escalated after a recent hack of Qatar's state-run news agency. It has spiralled since.

As it cut ties on Monday, Saudi Arabia charged that Qatar was embracing various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilising the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL also known as ISIS and armed groups supported by Iran in the kingdom's restive east.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry accused Qatar of taking an antagonist approach towards Cairo and said all attempts to stop it from supporting terrorist groups failed.

Qatar denied the allegations, with a Foreign Ministry statement describing them as "baseless" on Monday.

The group issuing sanctions on Doha is clearly the imposition of guardianship over Qatar, which is in itself a violation of its sovereignty, and is rejected outright, the statement said.

The move came just two weeks after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and vowed to improve ties with both Riyadh and Cairo to combat terrorism and contain Iran.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the move was rooted in long-standing differences and urged the parties to resolve them.

Gulf Air Partners With OAG To Provide Real-time Information On Gulf Air flights

Middle East carrier Gulf Air teams up with air travel intelligence company OAG to launch an online Flight Status Facility on the airline’s website, providing passengers with real-time information on their Gulf Air flights.

Middle East carrier Gulf Air teams up with air travel intelligence company OAG to launch an online Flight Status Facility on the airline’s website, providing passengers with real-time information on their Gulf Air flights. The data includes customised flight trackers, destination, weather and flight status alerts via email/SMS/Twitter in English, Arabic, German and French.

“Today, the speed at which information is delivered is crucial to any business and it is particularly relevant and critical for airlines and an important selling point for today’s connected travellers. With this new facility we are keeping our passengers fully abreast of any changes to their journey and giving them destination-specific information so as to enhance their travel experience both with Gulf Air and at their final destination,” says Yahya Ali Buali, the airline’s director of sales & marketing.

“As a leader in the aviation industry, Gulf Air understands that today’s connected traveller values transparency and real-time information above all else,” adds Ev Jordan of OAG’s EVP Flight Status division.

“Through OAG, Gulf Air is able to keep travellers informed through the world’s most comprehensive status data across mobile, email and social alerts in four languages.”

Customers can find a suite of additional online services offering group bookings, hotel bookings, car rentals and travel insurance.

BAHRAIN: Gulf Air To Implement Beirut Flights For Weekend Travelers

As of 19th January, Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, will implement a modified daily flight schedule to and from the Lebanese capital Beirut in response to passenger demand from across the GCC region. Catering to weekend leisure and business travelers, the airline’s Beirut flights will, from 19th January, now include Thursday departures from Bahrain at 1710 arriving into Beirut at 1950, departing to Bahrain at 2035 to arrive at 0045+1.

The airline’s Saturday flights will now depart Bahrain at 1130 arriving into Beirut at 1410, departing to Bahrain at 1455 to arrive at 1905 (all times local). The changed flight schedule gives passengers from Bahrain and across the GCC greater flexibility and better connectivity when traveling to/from Beirut on those days.

Commenting on the modified flight schedule, Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Ahmed Janahi said: “Our new flight timings on Thursdays and Saturdays cater to weekend passenger movement between the GCC, Bahrain and Beirut, giving travelers more convenient travel times and better connectivity across the region.

With consistently high load factors, Beirut is a popular destination and we are pleased to respond to passenger feedback and demand on this route and hope our valued passengers will take advantage of our new timings.”

Gulf Air operates daily flights between Beirut and Bahrain. Boasting one of the Middle East’s largest networks, the airline is well-positioned to connect the Lebanese capital to several key destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Europe with excellent connectivity via its efficient Bahrain International Airport hub.

TURKEY: Gulf Air And Mövenpick Hotels In Familiarisation Trip For Turkish Travel Agents

Gulf Air recently organized a familiarization trip in collaboration with Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts Bahrain, promoting Bahrain to key Turkish travel agencies.

During the three-day visit the participating agents experienced the comforts of flying with Gulf Air, residing at one of the Kingdom’s five star hotels and enjoying some of Bahrain’s most notable touristic sights and sounds.

Meeting with Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Ahmed Janahi and Gulf Air Director Sales & Marketing Mr. Yahya Buali during their visit to the airline’s headquarters, topics of discussion included the importance of travel agents’ role and function, the partnership between them and Gulf Air to promote the Kingdom’s tourism capabilities and raise awareness of all that Bahrain and its national carrier have to offer.

Gulf Air is a major international carrier serving 41 cities in 24 countries (with the scheduled addition of Colombo flights in January 2017), spanning three continents. The airline currently operates 5 weekly flights between Istanbul and Bahrain and flights can be booked online at gulfair.com, by calling the airline’s 24 hour Worldwide Contact Centre on (+973) 17373737, or through any local Gulf Air Office and approved travel agencies.

SAUDI ARABIA: Gulf Air And Swissport Saudi Arabia Sign Ground Handling Services Contract

Swissport Saudi Arabia provides Gulf Air with comprehensive ground handling services including passenger and ramp handling, baggage services, operations coordination and load control. The agreement with Gulf Air followed a rigorous selection process and was effective from June 1st, 2016, making Bahrain’s national carrier the second Gulf carrier to appoint Swissport Saudi Arabia for its ground handling services in the Kingdom.

Gulf Air operates one of the largest networks in the Middle East, with double daily flights or more to 10 regional cities, in addition to select destinations in the Indian Subcontinent and Europe, from its hub at Bahrain International Airport. Bahrain’s national carrier offers over 90 weekly flights to 5 destinations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to regularly providing seasonal frequency and schedule enhancements that cater to greater passenger movement to and from the Kingdom.

Swissport Saudi Arabia’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Thomas Bommer stated "We are proud to be able to assist Gulf Air with professional ground handling services. A key feature of the collaboration with Gulf Air will be a high degree of customer focus and innovation that we intend to bring to the operation. We see a great potential for continuing to expand this partnership in the future as well.” To ready the organization across the Kingdom Swissport Saudi Arabia has brought in a sizeable number of Ground support equipment and recruited additional 250 experienced aviation staff, besides strengthening the current set-up with a number of key position appointments.

Swissport International Ltd. provides ground services for around 230 million passengers and handles 4.1 million tonnes of cargo a year on behalf of some 835 client-companies in the aviation sector. With a workforce of around 61,000 personnel, Swissport is active at more than 280 stations in 48 countries across five continents, and generates consolidated operating revenue of CHF 3.0 billion. www.swissport.com

About Gulf Air The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, commenced operations in 1950, becoming one of the first commercial airlines established in the Middle East. Today, Gulf Air is a major international carrier serving 40 cities in 23 countries spanning three continents. The airline operates one of the largest networks in the Middle East, with double daily flights or more to 10 regional cities, in addition to select destinations in the Indian Subcontinent and Europe, from its hub at Bahrain International Airport. Gulf Air serves all its destinations with a combination wide and narrow body fleet totalling 28 modern aircraft. Renowned for its traditional Arabian hospitality, evidenced by the airline’s signature family and business friendly products, Gulf Air is committed to being an industry leader and developing products and services that reflect the evolving needs and aspirations of its passengers.

Gulf Air connects Bahrain to the world and, as such, is a key national infrastructure asset, serving as a powerful driver for the economy and supporting the Kingdom’s on-going economic growth.

OMAN: New Airline To Be based In Salalah

Oman’s airport operator wants new airline Salam Air to set up its base at Salalah International Airport, a move it believes would increase the profile of the country’s second largest airport.

A new 2 million-passenger capacity terminal opened at Salalah International in June replacing the old 500,000-passenger terminal. Meanwhile, Oman awarded a licence to state-owned Muscat National Development and Investment Company (ASAAS) in January to establish budget carrier Salam Air, the country’s second airline.

“We are pushing them to go to Salalah but I think they are pushing back to stay in Muscat,” Oman Airports Management Company chief executive Aimen Ahmad Sultan Al Hosni said at an exhibition in Dubai on Monday.

The budget airline will start operations by early 2017 as per an agreement with Oman’s aviation authority and plans to fly medium and short-haul flights, according to Salem Awad Saeed Al Yafaey, Salalah International general manager. It will operate the narrow body Boeing 737 aircraft, Al Hosni said.

Oman is investing in five airports across the country, including building a new passenger terminal at main airport Muscat International that is facing further delays.

“We are targeting 2017 and inshallah we can deliver,” Al Hosni said.

Oman said in January the new terminal would open by the end of 2016, around a year behind its last target opening date. It was originally set to be completed in 2014 but issues with illegal workers and technical difficulties have contributed to delays.

Al Hosni declined to say when in 2017 the terminal could open, saying it is up to the Ministry of Transport to “set the timing.”

Salalah, a popular regional holiday destination, handled 1 million passengers between January 1 and December 17, up from 840,000 in 2014, Al Yafaey said, adding that Oman Airports has approached Bahrain’s Gulf Air and Saudi Arabia’s budget carrier flynas to fly to the airport.

“I hope they Salam Air take the base in Salalah because that definitely will add value to the airport,” Al Yafaey said.

Oman Airports will issue a request for proposal (RFP) by the end of the year to establish aircraft maintenance services at Salalah International, he added.

Construction on terminal buildings for new airports in Sohar, in the country’s north, and Ras Al Hadd in the country’s east, will start this year and in late 2017, respectively, Al Hosni said, adding that Air Asia’s Thailand joint-venture Thai Air Asia will start flights from Bangkok to Muscat in late July or early June.

BAHRAIN: Gulf Air To Bboost Flights To Gassim, Saudi Arabia

Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has unveiled plans to boost service to Gassim, Saudi Arabia, said a report.

From April 24, daily flights will be operated to Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport, a report in Bahrain News Agency said.

This is the airline’s third Saudi Arabian destination to witness a frequency boost over the past three months; Gulf Air increased its Riyadh service, in March , to 32 weekly flights while its Jeddah service was increased to a total of four daily flights in February.

"Following on from recent increases to other Saudi Arabian destinations, Gulf Air’s most recent schedule enhancement to Gassim not only helps us further satisfy passenger needs but also creates improved connections for those passengers connecting to and from Gulf Air’s network of onwards destinations across the globe," the report quoted Gulf Air a/chief commercial officer Ahmed Janahi as saying. "By focusing on this critical market we are working to provide superior travel solutions that cater to the travel needs of our Saudi passengers and their growing travel needs," he said.

SAUDI ARABIA:Aviation Industry Very Competetive

SaudiGulf Airlines was doing more than just showing off its new Airbus A320 aircraft at the Bahrain International Airshow. The new carrier’s presence was the surest sign yet that Saudi Arabia’s domestic aviation market is finally about to take off.

The privately-owned airline and soon-to-be rival Al Maha Airways, a subsidiary of Qatar Airways, have been awaiting final approval and their operating licences from the kingdom’s regulator, General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) under a historic decision to open up the domestic market. After several delays, both airlines are expected to launch imminently.

“We’re in the final stages of obtaining our AOC,air operator’s certificate. We provided our main submission of the manuals and all of the systems last year,” SaudiGulf president Samer Majali said, on the sidelines of the airshow at Sakhir Airbase.

“Part of the delay was waiting for the airplane. We got it a month ago. At the beginning of February, we’ll start doing the emergency evacuation simulations and we’ll do the route-proving flights under the supervision of the civil aviation. Hopefully we will finish some time at the end of February-early March, and they will give us the licence.

“We will then commence some soft operations and hopefully we should start commercial operations anywhere between April and June.”

The former head of Bahrain’s state-backed Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian Airlines also blames some of the delay in launching the “boutique airline” — owned by Dammam-based Abdulhadi Al Qahtani Group — on the kingdom’s thorough regulations, which are being implemented for the first time.
“This is the first time that an airline has started up in Saudi Arabia and had to go through the entire certification process. We went through the whole certification and it’s a learning process for all of us,” Majali says.

Saudi Arabia has had one of the most highly regulated aviation markets in the world and limited foreign involvement. But rising population and affluence has led to a demand for more services. GACA expects annual passenger traffic to soar from 65 million in 2012 to 100 million by 2020, including almost a doubling of domestic traffic to 28.5 million.

It agreed in 2013 to allow two foreign airlines to operate domestic services only, while it is also part-way through privatizing state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia).

In another sign of the newcomers’ imminent launch, Al Maha Airways livery also has been added to four planes still being operated by Qatar Airways and staff for the new airline are being trained.

While the regulators have borne much of the blame for delays in the launch of the two new carriers, according to local media, Majali says his Eastern Province-based airline also had been waiting to make an impact by launching with its own aircraft.

“The biggest delay was due to us requiring new airplanes because normally a start-up carrier uses old airplanes by dry leasing and starts up within three to six months, and that’s it. We wanted to make an impression within Saudi with a very high quality carrier, full service, and the whole shebang.

We bought new airplanes from Airbus according to our specifications for the inside, and that normally takes 18 months. That was the major part of the delay,” Majali says.

Curiously, he adds that the carrier has only taken delivery of one of its four aircraft for licensing purposes, with the other three remaining at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France, “because of the weather”.

“This is the only one required for the AOC process. Once we finish the AOC process, the other three will come,” Majali says.

Initially, the airline plans to launch four routes: Dammam-Riyadh, Dammam-Jeddah, Riyadh-Jeddah, and Dammam-Dubai, with domestic flights offering first class and economy fares, and international flights providing business class and economy class service.

“Then in 2017, which will be our main expansion year, we will increase within Saudi Arabia itself and we will increase within the region,” he says.

The expansion will be fuelled by the 16 Bombardier CS300 jets on order, at a cost of $2bn with an option for a further ten, which Majali says will be delivered in 2017-18.

“It’s an airplane very similar to the A320, slightly smaller — probably ten seats less — but it’s a small, narrow body,” he says.

As a ‘boutique airline’, SaudiGulf will target the luxury market. While there are no plans to explore the business class-only configuration that has previously been unsuccessfully trialled in the kingdom, the model is definitely high specification, and will target the top end of the market.

However, Majali says he will be partly hamstrung by the kingdom’s fare cap.

“With the pricing, we are limited to an extent by the current fare cap and the modifications of the fare cap within Saudi Arabia, but obviously we have flexibility with first class and other things,” Majali says.

“But definitely the market in Saudi Arabia is opening up — you now have three airlines, and another one is coming up. Once you open up the market, there is no reason to have a fare cap any more. Hopefully, in the future, you will pay for the services that you get.”
Majali, who left Gulf Air in 2012, says starting the project from scratch allowed the carrier to order the aircraft to its own specifications and introduce the company ethos from the outset.

“Our advantage is that we’re started from the ground up, and so we can build it right from the start. There’s no excess baggage. Obviously a start-up also has lots of challenges but the upside is that as a start-up carrier we can build systems and procedures, employee attitudes and service right from the start,” he says.

Once the initial 20 aircraft are in operation, Majali says the airline will start thinking about expansion, including looking at a possible large, narrow body aircraft capable of serving longer-range markets.

“The plan in five years is to be a major player within the Saudi Arabian market domestically, and we expect to be a very strong regional player,” he says. “We’ll start thinking of expanding after that. But initially, with the 20 airplanes, we will doing Saudi Arabia domestic, we will be doing regional and a bit more beyond that — India, Pakistan, probably Turkey, Egypt, all destinations within a four or five-hour flying radius from Dammam.”

Al Maha Airways, which had also planned to commence operations in 2015 but was also held up by licensing issues, will initially operate routes to main cities in the kingdom, starting with flights between its hub in Riyadh and the west coast city of Jeddah, before moving to second-tier cities. The airline has already taken delivery of four A320, with plans to add another six by the time it starts operations.

According to reports, the carrier will add a further ten to 15 each year until it reaches a total 50 narrow and widebody aircraft.

When they are up and flying, both of the new airlines will face fierce competition from Saudia and Riyadh-based Flynas, the kingdom’s only low-cost airline, which is owned by National Airline Services Holding (63 percent) and HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud’s Kingdom Holding.
Flynas CEO Paul Byrne has helped turn around the airline and is expected to report its first ever profit since launching in 2007 when its latest figures are released within months.

“The advantage for me was that when I came to Flynas I went in as a consultant, so I could see from the outside what was working and what wasn’t. Long haul wasn’t. One of the things we were fantastic at was getting an A320 from point to point on time,” he says.

“You start with a strength like that and build upon it. It’s not rocket science, we know what we do well, we know what people want, and we improved pretty dramatically on what they didn’t want. It was costing us a lot of money in 2014, and we took that particular cost out of the system and we’ve increased our A320 flying.”

The airline has plans to expand from 26 Airbus aircraft and to replace its all-leased fleet with up to 100 new aircraft over the next five years.
Byrne, who entered the aviation industry with Ireland’s Aer Lingus and has worked all over the world, says 70 percent of Flynas’ flights are in the kingdom’s domestic market.

“There’s still plenty of room in there for more flying and that’s where we’re concentrating most of our effort,” he says.
Byrne admits that despite there being only two operators in the country, the Saudi market remains “very tough”.

“Look at how long it has taken for any competition to actually get in there. Before us, you had a low-cost carrier called Sama that didn’t survive the rigours of trying to set themselves up. Nasair the airline’s former name and Flynas as it is, just barely stayed through that whole set-up period, but now we’ve established ourselves it’s still tough to make money,” he says.

Flynas’ potential profitability also has been limited by the kingdom’s fare cap.

“We’re being restricted on what we can charge on a day-to-day basis on our flights. We don’t receive a subsidy on our fuel, the same way as Saudia. If you want to subsidise an airline and then fare-cap them, I’ve no problem with that, but we get fare-capped as well, and don’t receive a subsidy. I don’t know where this equation came from,” he says. “But within ten days of departure, I can increase my prices by up to 80 percent.

“That said, I think GACA are expanding their thinking. They are no longer the political wing of Saudia, so they’re starting to become more and more of a regulator. I think they’re recognising that the kingdom needs to be served better by efficient airlines. We’re one of them. We’re hoping to see more people come in because competition is good; it will be good for us.”

That seems to be the common thinking in Saudi aviation circles — that once more operators come into the market, the regulators will be forced to loosen up and create a more business-friendly attitude.

“There was a heavy hand in the past. It was there for protectionist reasons,” Byrne says. “That is changing, but these attitudes never change overnight, so even though the senior people are changing their thinking, and are focussing on the industry by breaking things up, it’s a big organisation and that has to filter down. It has had 70 years of doing something one way.”

So when SaudiGulf Airlines and Al Maha Airways eventually launch, it will represent the start of not only new services, but a new era in Saudi aviation.

Regeneration of Bahrain’s aviation sector
A generation ago, Bahrain was a key hub in the Middle East, attracting the likes of global logistics company DHL to open its regional base there. For various reasons, the island kingdom’s infrastructure and airline service fell behind its GCC neighbours. But both are being addressed, according to the kingdom’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications.

The country’s recent airshow was used to relaunch what has been described by many as a new era for aviation in Bahrain.

The modernisation of the airport, described by the minister as “one of the most important strategic projects for the Kingdom of Bahrain”, will see a $1.1bn new terminal built over the next three years, by which stage national carrier Gulf Air will have taken delivery of the first of its new Airbus A320/A321s and Boeing Dreamliner 787-9s.

While the airline has not yet decided how to deploy the 29 aircraft that make up a $7.6bn order, Acting CEO Maher Salman Al Musallam says the aircraft will enhance the carrier’s offering and create opportunities to expand through the acquisition of longer range aircraft.

Reclaiming home ground
Kuwait Airways is looking to reenergise its operations, with significant additions to its fleet expected in the coming years, including ten Boeing 777-300ERs and 25 Airbus aircraft.

The national carrier’s appearance at the recent Bahrain International Airshow was its first representation at such an event in a generation. Arriving with its new A330, it was a sign the carrier is finally getting its act together.

“In Kuwait, the opportunity that we clearly have and not fully exploited is the fact that we have one of the largest home markets in the area,” says Kuwait Airways chief commercial officer Philip Saunders, speaking at the Bahrain Airshow.

“The truth is that many of our natural customers have preferred to travel with Qatar Airways, or Air Arabia, or many other carriers in the region, but that’s already beginning to change, because we’re putting the right schedules in place; we’re putting our market first.

“We have announced major investments in our fleet and also in our products. From this November, when we receive our Boeing 777, our customers will be in for a surprise, because we will have suites in first class and lie-flat beds in business class, and wonderful product in economy. We’re excited and confident about the future.”

Saunders says Kuwait Airways aims to recover its position as the carrier of first choice in its home market, supported by sixth freedom traffic.

Gulf Air OfferS BBC Worldwide Channels In Flights

Gulf Air, the flag carrier airline of Bahrain, is bringing the airline’s passengers a new entertainment experience, as it becomes the first airline in the Middle East to launch BBC Worldwide’s three newest genre brands onboard: BBC Brit, BBC Earth and BBC First.

BBC Brit is the home of shows such as Top Gear, blending expertise with entertainment and covers a rich variety of subjects: cars, adventure, life-changing moments, quirky British characters, chat show and comedy.

Nature lovers can now enjoy watching BBC Earth onboard their Gulf Air flight – a channel dedicated to sharing the incredible wonders of our planet, showcasing the work of the world’s foremost factual film makers. Fans of British drama now have BBC First – the home of original and compelling dramas.

Gulf Air A/Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Ahmed Janahi said: “We are delighted to partner with BBC Worldwide to share their premium new channels with our passengers, giving them a greater selection of programs. I don’t doubt that our enhanced onboard entertainment will please travelers and I look forward to receiving their invaluable feedback.”

Zina Neophytou, Director – Travel & Special Markets, BBC Worldwide said: “BBC Brit, Earth and First offer customers the very best of British entertainment, documentary and drama and we are thrilled that Gulf Air passengers will be the first in the region to be able to enjoy all three channels in-flight.”

Gulf Air’s entire fleet is equipped with the latest in-flight entertainment technology offering hundreds of channels of entertainment that include religious programs, movies, TV shows, a channel dedicated to local Bahraini productions and an instructional and informative health channel in addition to a variety of games for the airline’s younger passengers.

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia Awards Gulf Air And Qatar Airways Domestic Flights License

Gulf Air and Qatar Airways have won carrier licenses to operate domestic flights from Saudi Arabia, General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) revealed on Saturday, according the state news agency (SPA).

GACA said 14 companies had applied for the license. Until now only the national carrier Saudi Airlines and budget airline National Air Services (NAS) have serviced a domestic market of around 27 million people.

With Saudi Arabia's price cap on domestic flights, private airlines have struggled with their profit margins.

Saudi Airlines, which is undergoing a slow privatization process, receives fuel at subsidized prices unlike private carriers, allowing it to offset the limits of the ticket cost ceiling.

UAE: Gulf Air to Paris and Beyond

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an airline renowned for its time long spirit of innovation – reflected in its constantly evolving product offering and efforts taken to develop innovative new elements to win customers. It has always recognized the importance of seamless connectivity, convenient flight schedules and excellent products and services to enhance the customer flight experience and ensure greater customer satisfaction.

For the fourth consecutive year, Gulf Air has taken travel to another level, encompassing both air and rail travel in one of Europe’s most beautiful countries, France. Travellers can enjoy the scenery as they cruise through the plains of 20 different destinations through the airline’s alliance with France’s national railway network SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français). Vacationers have the option to not only explore Paris and walk the Champs-Élysées, but visit Marseille, the 2013 European Capital of Culture or study the intricate structure of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Strasbourg among the many attractions the country offers.

With five flights a week through its efficient hub in Bahrain, Gulf Air operates its new A320-Extended Range (ER) aircraft to the French capital, Paris. The premium class- Falcon Gold seat converts into a fully-flat bed measuring 1.90 meters in length guaranteeing a comfortable night’s sleep; complete with Audio-Video on Demand (AVOD) features, an individual 15-inch touch screen in every seat and high quality noise cancelling headphones.

The Economy Class seats offer passengers the very latest in comfort and technology. Featuring a 4-inch recline, an 18-inch seat-width and an adjustable head and foot rest allowing greater passenger comfort, the seats are fitted with 9-inch seat back TV monitors that are ideal for enjoying the extensive in-flight entertainment options.

In the last three years, Gulf Air has embarked on an aggressive and proactive re-fleeting and product enhancement strategy. Today the airline’s fleet is one of the youngest in the region with an average age of 1.01 years, with pioneering services such as the award winning Sky Nanny and Sky Chef on-board. In addition, the airline’s fully renovated Falcon Gold lounges at Bahrain International Airport and Dubai International Airport offer a wide range of facilities and amenities for passengers to relax or conduct their business.
Recognized among top ten airlines in the world for its on time flight punctuality, Gulf Air continues to excel in offering customers the best of its products and services.

France: Shopping, Art & More

France as a destination has appealed to all visitors alike. There is so much more to the destination beyond Paris. Several cities within France have in the past years tapped into the Middle East potential. Destinations such as Lyon recently showcased their key offering looking to build on the new Emirates connection. For visitors, travelling on the well-connected Gulf Air flights, there is much to look forward to in the coming months.

The Marvellous Island Festival in Paris is a five-day festival on music. The event is open to all electronics music lovers. The event will witness participation from over 130 artists, producers, and live performers. For ski-enthusiast, one can explore the ski resort Megeve which is located in the Rhône-Alpes region. The ski-resort is a perfect fairytale setting with wooden and stone buildings with gabled slate roofs, gardens and balconies covered in flowers in summer or a billowy snow cloak in winter, hiking trails in the forest, and bell towers.

Megève, like few other high-mountain destinations, offers an array of activities that are best enjoyed from the air. In addition to flying over glaciers in a small plane, it is also possible to hire personalized helicopter excursions. The next destination being highlighted for 2013 is the Marseille-Provence. During the whole year, the region will host over 400 cultural events, bringing together the top artists in Europe and the Mediterranean. Events will include exhibitions, spectacles, concerts, parades, festivals, food tastings and more will be hosted to represent culture in all its different forms. Overall, the aim is to highlight young talented artists from Europe and the Mediterranean.

Moving on from culture to art, tourist visiting the country will be enthralled with the new Louvre, called the Louvre-Lens. The new Louvre located in northern France offers free admission to public for a year. The museum consists of five buildings, including four rectangular buildings with one large square building in the center, mirroring the design of the Paris Louvre with its two outstretched wings.

Located in the heart of Lens, a former coal mining center in the most northern area of France called the Nord-Pas de Calais, the museum is just an hour and ten minutes from Paris by high-speed train, right between the cities of Lille and Arras. The Louvre-Lens boasts three main galleries: the Galerie du Temps, le Pavillon de Verre and La Galerie d’Exposition Temporaire. This museum is also unique in that it gives a behind-the-scenes view of the inner-workings of the museum by allowing the public to see into its storerooms and restoration rooms. With the kind of investments into the project, the museum hopes to attract an average of 500,000 visitors per year.

INDIA: AirAsia, Gulf Air, TruJet and Vistara Are Newest Carriers At Rajiv Gandhi Airport

According to AAI figures, in January of this year Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport achieved a rolling 12-month passenger throughput of more than 10 million passengers for the first time in its history. This was followed in May by handling over one million passengers in a month for the first time. The airport ranks as India’s sixth busiest and serves the capital of the southern Indian state of Telangana.

The current facility was opened on a former greenfield site in March 2008, when passenger numbers were around the seven million mark. Initially passenger numbers fell as a result of the global economic crisis, but since then demand has rebounded well, and in the year ending 31 March 2015 the airline processed 10.4 million passengers, a 20% increase on the previous 12-month period. Latest AAI figures for June 2015 show that the airport has handled close to 11 million passengers in the last 12 months.

IndiGo is #1 carrier

The leading airline at the airport is IndiGo, with an estimated 40% of scheduled seat capacity spread across a network of 15 domestic destinations and one international (Dubai). This makes the carrier more than twice as big as its nearest rival, Air India. SpiceJet has fallen from second to third at the airport as a result of its network restructuring, while Jet Airways is fourth.

The leading foreign carrier at the airport is Emirates, followed by Etihad Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Thai Airways and British Airways (shown in bright green). Four airlines have begun service from the airport in the last 12 months; AirAsia, Gulf Air (technically a resumption of services), TruJet and Vistara.


Delhi and Mumbai jostle for leading route status

Delhi and Mumbai are evenly matched as the airport’s two busiest routes, well ahead of third-ranked Bengaluru. There are only two international routes in the airport’s top 12, but one of them, Dubai, ranks as the airport’s fourth busiest route, served by Air India, Emirates, flydubai and IndiGo. Abu Dhabi in eighth place is served by Etihad Airways and Jet Airways. Other destinations served in the Middle East include Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat and Riyadh. Asian destinations with direct service include Bangkok (with Thai Airways), Hong Kong (with Cathay Pacific Airways), Kuala Lumpur (with AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines) and Singapore (with both SilkAir and Singapore Airlines). The only non-stop service to Europe is to London Heathrow with British Airways. There are currently no direct services to anywhere in China or the US.

TruJet is newest airline

On 12 July, Hyderabad welcomed its newest carrier, TruJet. The new, domestic carrier currently has a fleet of two ATR 72-500s and operates from Hyderabad to Aurangabad, Chennai, Tirupati and Rahajmundry, with services to Bengaluru expected to launch in mid-September.