São Paulo – Bahrain’s state-run carrier Gulf Air released its 2019 business plan on Sunday (6) during a conference in the national capital Manama. It said in a press release that its new business model is intended to set the carrier apart from the competition by making it a “boutique airline,” one that pays more attention to quality experience than passenger numbers, which is usually the focus of major airlines.
Factors expected to give Gulf Air a competitive edge are its new fleet – the company expects delivery of two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320neos this year –, the offer of its new Falcon Gold class, which it says offers first-class services at business class prices, new products and destinations, and a new terminal in the Bahrain International Airport, set to open by the end of the year.
Gulf Air board chairman Zayed Alzayani was quoted in a press release as saying this is “an even more exciting year for Gulf Air as we continue our efforts and plans to portray the airline as a solid national asset that serves Bahrain and yet caters to an international audience.”
In 2018, Gulf Air announced a five-year plan that began with the delivery of five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and one Airbus 320neo, plus six added destinations: Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; Baku, Azerbaijan; Casablanca, Morocco; and Bangalore and Calicut, India.
The airline’s new brand identity was launched last year during the Prêmio Gulf Air Bahrain F1 Grand Prix, including new logos, color palettes, uniforms and cabin definition.
About
Gulf Air went into business in 1950 as one of the Middle East’s first commercial airlines. It currently flies to 47 cities in 26 countries across Europe, Africa and Asia, especially the Middle East. It offers two or more daily flights to over ten different cities in Bahrain, plus destinations in the Indian Subcontinent and Europe, from its hub in the Bahrain International Airport.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
