Rapid roll call
Now fully Bahraini-owned, Gulf Air completes the registration of its fleet in record time
The kingdom’s national carrier, Gulf Air, has successfully completed Bahraini registration of all its 30 aircraft in less than three months. After Gulf Air became a fully Bahraini-owned company, the registration of its aircraft under the Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) began in mid-September 2007.
A brief ceremony was held on 30 December 2007 to mark the accomplishment, in the presence of Gulf Air acting president and chief executive Björn Näf, officials from the BCAA and SR Technics, the company that takes care of maintenance.
“It is a proud moment for all of us at Gulf Air, the BCAA and the citizens of the kingdom, as Gulf Air is now a Bahraini company in every sense of the word,” said Näf. He went on to thank Abdul Rahim Bin Salem Al-Haremi, director general of civil aviation and meteorology, Sultanate of Oman, and Captain Abdulrahman Al-Gaoud, under secretary for civil aviation, Kingdom of Bahrain, their officials and the project team members from SR Technics for their outstanding support and cooperation.
The first of the newly certificated aircraft, with Bahraini registration A9C-LB, flew to Mumbai, India, on 14 September.
Ready for take-off
Gulf Air signs deal for up to 24 Boeing 787s
After year-long and intense negotiations with the leading aircraft manufacturers, Gulf Air has signed an agreement to purchase up to 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in a deal valued at nearly US$6 billion at list prices. The deal entails a commitment for 16 B-787s on direct order, with Gulf Air having the right to purchase eight more aircraft.
The first B-787 delivery will be made in 2016. By 2019 the airplanes will make up Gulf Air’s entire wide-body assets. The airline is also looking to the leasing market to have 16 more B-787s ready to join its fleet from 2010.
“We are confident of our decision to make the new generation B-787 Dreamliner the backbone of our flight operations,” says Gulf Air’s acting president and chief executive Björn Näf. “We believe that flying with this new generation aircraft will enable us to achieve our aim of becoming the airline of choice from the Gulf region.”
Duty free update
Gulf Air passengers can now enjoy a range of new and exclusive onboard duty free products, a new edition of Shop Duty Free magazine and attractive incentives when they buy. New goods from some of the world’s leading fashion houses have been added, while 18 products are exclusive to Gulf Air customers. Passengers also stand to win a Jacques Leman official F1 sports watch when they spend US$100 or more. |
