A delegation headed by Oman Air’s Chief Executive Abdul Rahman Al-Busaidy met with James Hogan, president and chief executive of Gulf Air and other senior airline executives in Bahrain last week to explore areas of co-operation and synergies that will benefit both airlines.
Discussions centered on areas of co-operation, including the network, cargo operations, sharing infrastructure, expansion of code sharing, and other opportunities to promote economic development and tourism in the airlines’ owner states.
“At a time when the airline industry is at its lowest ebb, it is important that we should look into ways of working together and supporting each other, to remove obstacles and create economies of scale,” stated James Hogan. “Partnerships and co-operation hold the potential to make our industry more efficient. We will continue to explore synergies in service delivery to meet the requirements of the market and serve our customers better,” he said.
“We also share the important task of promoting and encouraging economic development within this region,” he continued. “Following on from the introduction of Arabian Experience, we will continue our focus, in collaboration with ministries and institutions, on developing the region’s unique tourism proposition of unparalleled natural beauty and cultural richness.”
In closing the parties re-iterated their continued commitment to co-operation in pursuing shared goals and the development of the region. Further meetings are scheduled to take place in May.
Gulf Air was founded in 1950. Today, it is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 43 cities in 32 countries. The fleet is one of the most modern in the Middle East and comprises 30 aircraft. The airline is in its first year of a three-year strategic recovery program.
Arabian Experience is a major new tourism initiative, which promotes the unique cultural richness of the destinations and attractions in the region, and offers packages to Bahrain, the UAE and Oman, where Gulf Air has joined forces with local tourism authorities to spearhead a multi-million dollar international campaign that will offer holidaymakers a true ‘Arabian Experience’ in the best of the region. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
