GULF AIR, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, plans to renew its fleet and take delivery of four Boeing 777, four A330 and five A320 aircraft this year. The airline believes this is the right time to order new aircraft as many international airlines have stopped or delayed their deals with aircraft manufacturers.
Björn Näf Gulf Air chief executive officer believes strongly that the airline is going forward. “We are all challenged of course: this economic crisis is a global challenge and naturally it has affected us too.”
“However there have been no cancellations – in fact the opposite has happened, such as increasing our frequencies on the Bahrain-Frankfurt route from nine flights a week to 11 this June,” he told TTN at ITB Berlin.
“Companies are cutting their travel budgets and we feel that. We are like all other carriers – we just have to make sure we have enough endurance and liquidity to actually bridge until better times come again. That’s the challenge right now.”
For how long this will continue is anybody’s guess, but Näf sees at the crisis continuing for at least one year from now. “If you see what is going on globally it is unbelieveable. And it hasn’t stopped.”
“The Middle East is a highly competitive region as there are many airlines flying in from Europe. Everybody wants to offer better fares, so we watch the markets almost on a daily basis and if they change, we change. We have various promotions and are offering extremely aggressive fares but that is just to fight the markets. In the long run that is not healthy,” he said.
Gulf Air will again be partnering with the Bahrain International Circuit in promoting the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, which it has done for the last six years as the title sponsor. “Formula One puts Bahrain on the map. We have extended the partnership for another five years up to 2013. For Gulf Air, the Grand Prix is a very important marketing tool,” said Naf.
This year’s international race takes place in Bahrain from April 24 to 26. “On this weekend we will be upgrading certain flights, such as some from Dubai, where we use a wide-body aircraft instead of narrow. We are expecting close on 100,000 people to come to here for the event. The airline has been “an integral part of the kingdom’s growth for nearly 60 years”, and as such shares a great synergy with Bahrain’s Vision 2030, which outlines the future path for the development of the country’s economy.
“Gulf Air has established a name for itself over these decades as a powerful brand, well known for its hallmark Arabian hospitality offering innovative products and services to its customers. The award winning sky chef and sky nanny are just a proof of this,” he said. The recently introduced first class suite was “very close to the best product in the world. It has a private suite which can be closed off, it is just like being in a hotel room!”
Eight private sleeping compartments are available, offering an 80 inch pitch and 25 inch width bed, converting to a full size bed with cotton sheets and a wardrobe facility. The herring bone designed business class seats offer a lie flat bed with 180 degree recline, a privacy wall and top linens, and in economy class the seats come with more leg room, a 130 degree recline and an adjustable hammock headrest.
Out of the 13 aircraft to be delivered this year, some are from its own order book while the others will be on lease and will be used on a number of routes including London, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Cairo and intra Gulf routes, gradually replacing the Airbus 340s. Gulf Air now operates 840 flights a week to 42 destinations in 27 countries.
by Cheryl Mandy