Tag Archives: Gulf Air

Gulf Air participated in the Formula 1 stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 25-27 March. The national carrier hosted its VIP guests, partners and travel agents at its Paddock Club at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Gulf Air Acting CEO, Captain Waleed Al-Alawi, praised the organization and the quality of performance that he witnessed in the race, adding, “We were pleased to welcome our customers in the Saudi market, which is of special importance to Gulf Air. As the official sponsor of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, which was the inaugural race of the Formula 1 season in 2022, we are pleased with the success of the stc Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, especially in view of our strong relationship with the Saudi market and our partners in it, and the long historical relations linking the Kingdom of Bahrain with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Congratulations to Saudi Arabia for another successful race, and we wish Formula 1 more success in the future.” At the 2022 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Bahrain, and for the second Formula 1 race in a row, Gulf Air performed a low-emission flypast over the Bahrain International Circuit. Gulf Air is the official sponsor of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix since its historic launch in Bahrain in April 2004 as the first ever Formula 1 race in the Middle East; and has been contributing to the success of this sporting and social event and ensuring its excellence at all levels.  

Sabre Corporation and Gulf Air have reaffirmed their long standing relationship with an expanded, multi-year agreement. Under the renewed agreement, Gulf Air will continue to use Sabre’s passenger service system (PSS) SabreSonic to help power its digital transformation, provide a seamless traveller experience, and drive revenue growth. The PSS is designed to automate sales and reservations with enhanced functionalities that can help provide increased revenue opportunities by tailoring offers to meet the needs of travellers and help create an efficient airport experience. Gulf Air has also renewed a suite of solutions that will help ensure the airline’s operational efficiency and help incremental revenue opportunities through advanced fares management, schedule and network optimization and state-of-the-art revenue management. The agreement has also been expanded to include Sabre’s Dynamic Availability tool. A key building block for personalized retailing, the dynamic pricing engine will allow Gulf Air to identify ways to unlock greater value. “We’re delighted to reaffirm our relationship with Sabre and leverage its technology to further support our strategic plans,” said Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air. “We are currently undergoing a major transformation to upscale our technology strategy, advance operational efficiencies and improve traveller experience. As we move into recovery, we are confident that the flexible and intelligent nature of Sabre solutions, including SabreSonic, will enable us to be more efficient and offer a modern retail experience that enables personalized travel at scale, increases growth opportunities and allows us to create a differentiated brand experience in a highly competitive environment.” Sabre’s high performance, flexible PSS enables Sabre’s valued partners to realize increased growth opportunities through merchandising, codeshare agreements and alliance partners, plus cost savings from better …

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain resumed its direct operations to Tbilisi International Airport in Georgia starting with 3 weekly flights from 15 July 2021. On this occasion, Captain Waleed Abdulhameed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, said “We have been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Georgia since 2017 and it is one of the airline’s main destinations in the Caucasus region. We are extremely happy to see a much healthier trend in summer traffic and the resumption of some of our most popular destinations as the global vaccination program continues to bring a sense of normalcy back into our routine.” The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. The airline has also successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. Recently, Gulf Air announced offering complimentary COVID-19 travel insurance coverage to all ticket holders including health and quarantine expenses in the unexpected circumstances of being diagnosed with or contracting COVID-19 during passengers’ journeys. All tickets booked, including redemption tickets, on Gulf Air flights for travel until 10 November 2021 are automatically covered with COVID-19 insurance at no extra cost. All passengers, according to the newly announced insurance policy and in the unfortunate event of being diagnosed with COVID-19 while traveling abroad, will be covered for repatriation assistance, medical and hospitals costs abroad as well as quarantine accommodation …

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, begins the summer season with 80% of its pre-pandemic destinations as it continues to resume operations and restore services to cities of its original 2019 destination network. The airline has also announced that it has successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as well as recently resuming Tbilisi in Georgia. The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Tbilisi, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. Commenting on this network restoration milestone, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “We at Gulf Air are very excited and proud to restore 80% of our 2019 destinations network amidst the restrictions and continuous updates from each and every destination we fly to. The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain never stopped flying during the peak of the pandemic making it one of the most experienced and safest airlines to fly during these times and today we are growing closer to our full network”. He added: “We are working on frequencies and connectivity to offer more choices and more convenience to our passengers and we are confident that the months ahead will feature more milestones and success stories to tell”. Recently, Gulf Air announced the launch of point to point flights beyond its Bahrain International Airport hub allowing the airline to expand its operations to new destinations as well as …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) and Gulf Air held talks to discuss their close commercial relationships and explore ways to build on the ties by establishing a codeshare agreement. Being the first two airlines that started operations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, SAUDIA and Gulf Air will cooperate to expand their footprints regionally and internationally by sharing their codes and offering guests the signature warmth of Arabian hospitality. The codeshare will further enhance seamless travel options for passengers of SAUDIA and Gulf Air, providing wider choices of domestic destinations in Saudi Arabia and other international destinations across each airline’s network. SAUDIA will place its ‘SV’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Riyadh, Jeddah, Tbilisi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Baku, and Multan. On the other hand, the agreement will see Gulf Air place its ‘GF’ code on SAUDIA flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Bahrain, Abha, Jizan, Yanbu, Aljouf, Ha’il, as well as Tunis–Carthage airports. These codeshare operations will commence from the upcoming summer schedule of 2021. Commenting on the partnership, Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO SAUDIA Air Transport Company, said, “SAUDIA and Gulf Air are key partners in connecting guests on each carriers’ diverse route networks. Both airlines have a long history of partnership, in which this expanded codeshare agreement further enhances connectivity, convenience and flexibility for travelers.” For his part, Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive OfficerActing Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Air said, “The relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been strong on many fronts, and aviation is one of them. Gulf Air and SAUDIA are the pioneer airlines in the GCC with over 70 years of legacy. We look …

Etihad Airways and Gulf Air signed a Strategic Commercial Cooperation Agreement (SCCA) to deepen their partnership between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain and beyond the respective hubs. The wide-ranging SCCA, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, sets out specific actions for deepening and broadening commercial cooperation, building on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in 2018. The SCCA envisages a phased approach to closer collaboration between the partners. In the first phase, by June 2021, the scope of the partners’ codeshare agreement, first signed in 2019, will be significantly expanded. Etihad and Gulf Air will be able to offer up to an additional 30 combined destinations beyond the Abu Dhabi and Bahrain hubs, across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. The Strategic Commercial Cooperation Agreement was signed by Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, and Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer. Tony Douglas said, “This agreement reinforces the strength of the ongoing partnership between our two airlines. We look forward to exploring pragmatic ways in which the two carriers can increasingly work seamlessly between our two capitals, enhance benefits and customer experience for our most frequent travelers and further extend the reach of our joint networks beyond our hubs.” Captain AlAlawi said,  “Our relationship with Etihad Airways has always been strong and today we are reaching a higher level of collaboration with many more opportunities on the horizon between the national carriers of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. This agreement will empower both of us to offer a more elevated experience to passengers and widen their travel options.”  

Gulf Air signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (RAK International Airport), aiming to build connectivity between the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and the Kingdom of Bahrain.Heralding a new phase of operations for RAK International Airport, which is quickly establishing itself as a major transport and logistics hub for the UAE, the MoU was signed in a virtual ceremony that brought together high-ranking executives from both organizations. “We are always keen to explore ways to enhance the connectivity between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UAE. As a Boutique carrier, we look forward to adding Ras Al Khaimah to our network of destinations,” said Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air. For his part, Sanjay Khanna, Chief Executive Officer of RAK International Airport, said, “The aviation industry has its eyes set on recovery following the difficult year we had in 2020. The air ways are opening up as COVID-19 restrictions gradually ease, and passengers increasingly confident to take to the skies once again. With this in mind, we are delighted to sign this Memorandum of Understanding with Gulf Air to set the stage for flight services between Bahrain and Ras Al Khaimah – along with the Northern Emirates – and enhance Ras Al Khaimah International Airport’s connectivity to destinations around the world.” “Gulf-state connectivity is a key tenet of our expansion strategy, and with its long history, commendable track record, and vast network, Gulf Air is an ideal partner for this mission. Aiming to build connectivity between the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and the Kingdom of Bahrain. This move will allow residents, expats, and tourists in the Northern Emirates …

Gulf Air is adding new capabilities in partnership with Amadeus, in addition to the distribution and loyalty technology it uses today, in order to better meet the needs of travellers. The sheer number of travel options and fares available can be overwhelming to consumers. That’s why Amadeus and Gulf Air have joined forces to help travellers and travel professionals more easily match the right product offer to the right customer. Amadeus Airline Fare Families enables airlines to showcase the full value of their travel offers, allowing travel professionals to easily view all possible options. This includes the details of services included in a fare or offered at a charge, as well as the applicable fare conditions. For travel retailers using Amadeus technology, a unique, proactive upgrade facility will help drive revenues for both the travel agency and Gulf Air and enable customers to enjoy the flexibility and comfort that is important to them. Vincent Coste, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Air, comments, “Our partnership with Amadeus is going from strength to strength. We are pleased to extend our existing cooperation to include Amadeus Airline Fare Families and Amadeus Rich Merchandising. We are proud of the products and service we provide, and this technology will enable us to better showcase our differentiated offer to our customers. As travelers return to the skies, we are confident that these technologies will help drive even greater customer satisfaction.” Maher Koubaa, Executive Vice President, Airlines, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Amadeus adds, “Gulf Air is a valued and longstanding customer, and we already work closely on a number of strategic areas including distribution and customer loyalty. With so much choice and innovation taking place in the …

Sabre Corporation announced that Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has recently implemented Sabre’s branded fares technology – enhanced merchandising capabilities that allow travel agents using the Sabre global distribution system (GDS) to access the full breadth of airlines’ branded fares. With this implementation, agents can now easily view, compare and sell Gulf Air’s ‘Boutique’ fare family across the network, offering their customers greater choice and personalisation at better value. “With Sabre’s branded fares, airlines can go beyond the basic fare rules,” said Dino Gelmetti, Vice President EMEA, Sabre Travel Solutions.  “They can package additional benefits and features, such as additional air miles, seat selection, checked baggage and other services, with the goal of providing their customers better flexibility and greater value.  The ability to cater to and personalise these demands will enhance travellers’ experiences and drive revenue for airlines.” Gulf Air has introduced a new price concept for all destinations effective 20 October 2020, which travel agents can book through Sabre’s GDS.  With three economy class and two Falcon Gold class fare options, customers will be able to enjoy more choice when booking their flights. By marketing its “Boutique” fares through Sabre, Gulf Air will be giving its customers more control over their travel experiences, paying for the services that best meet their needs. “We recognise that many travellers today consider the overall value of a ticket, rather than just the price alone – and this means different things to different people,” said Vincent Costa, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Air.  “While we continue to offer increased benefits across our fares, we also need to be able to cater to specific traveller demands. With Sabre, we …

SpiceJet and Amadeus recently organised a series of empowerment sessions for the region’s travel community held in Dubai, UAE. More than 100 travel consultants participated in the sessions, which focused on how the Gulf’s travel industry can collaborate to better define and deliver offers to travel agents, corporates, and individual travellers. A number of success cases were also presented during the sessions, including SpiceJet’s MoU with Gulf Air and codeshare agreement with Emirates. Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, briefed audiences on how the travel tech company is working with ecosystem partners to create fully-open systems, to better harness the intelligent use of data, and to integrate new interfaces and architectures that connect travellers to the journeys they want. The agreement marks the first time that SpiceJet is working with a distribution partner. “To realise the full value of their inventory in 2020 and beyond, it is essential for the Gulf’s travel community to differentiate their offers beyond just price, while ensuring that more agencies and travellers can connect with their growing networks,” said keynote speaker Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont.