Gulf Air’s return to a larger long-haul network is on track with the resumption of deliveries from both Airbus and Boeing, the airline’s chief executive Captain Waleed AlAlawi has revealed.
Talking exclusively to the GDN on the sidelines of the BIAS 2022, he said the national carrier just received a Airbus A321neo Long Range, which has 16 full sleeper seats of first-class standard, offered as Falcon Gold.
“The aircraft has WiFi – which allows people to stay connected in the air. If fact, I used it recently and made phone calls.”
According to Airbus, the aircraft has a range of up to 7,400km, which would potentially allow Gulf Air to operate it on routes beyond Bangkok going East and the UK going West.
Capt Al Alawi said another A321neo will be joining the fleet before the end of the year and he expected the three remaining Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to also be delivered over the next year or so, taking care to point out that it was ‘up to the manufacturers’.
In 2018, Gulf Air announced plans to modernise its fleet with the induction of at least 39 planes by 2023, which included 10 Boeing 787-9s, 17 Airbus A321neo and 12 A320neo, with a total order value of around $3.4 billion, at book prices.
Seven Boeing 787s are already a part of the Gulf Air fleet, flying to destinations ranging from London-Heathrow to Bangkok.
Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner offer 282 seats – a 32 per cent increase in capacity on the airline’s previous wide-body offering.
Aimed at ensuring it maintained one of the youngest fleets in the region while allowing it to expand, the airline’s fleet modernisation plans were slowed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The chief executive told the International Air Transport Association (IATA) World Passenger Symposium in Bahrain earlier this month that Gulf Air was currently running at 80pc seat load factors having achieved 80pc restoration of 2019 levels in terms of passenger numbers.
The airline has added Milan, Rome, Manchester and Nice to its summer schedule this year and also announced operations to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain, Sharm Al Sheikh and Alexandria in Egypt, and Salalah in Oman.
Capt Al Alawi said he expected to increase flights to Manchester from twice-a-week currently, among other destinations in response to increased demand.
Talking about BIAS 2022, the airline’s chief executive said, “As the national carrier of Bahrain, the event’s official carrier and a key national infrastructure asset, it is integral for us to be involved in this significant, biennial event that adds great value to the growing prominence of the kingdom’s aviation sector in the international arena.”
He added that the show has proved to be a key business platform for international aviation companies too over the last decade.
Highlighting the airline’s recent win of the World’s Most Improved Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022, he added: “We’re pleased to have the Gulf Air services and products recognised. According to Skytrax ratings, we are number 22 in worldwide ranking and number four in the region, which is exceptional considering the presence of giants in the neighbourhood.”
“The new look and feel for Gulf Air, alongside its new fleet, new network and new products and services are all improvements that represent the Gulf Air of tomorrow.”
&uuid=(email))