Gulf Air is all set to begin services to Hyderabad
Airline’s eighth Indian destination marks successful bilateral relationship between India and Bahrain
Gulf Air, the sole national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is all set to begin its services to Hyderabad from 1 July 08 with its inaugural flight taking off from Bahrain International Airport at 00.05 am.
This follows the airline’s successful launch of its services to China’s commercial capital Shanghai on 16 June 2008.
“Hyderabad has been one of our favourite destinations in our expansion plans for quite sometime and I am glad we were able to link Hyderabad- the emerging IT and bio-tech hub with “Business Friendly” Bahrain,” says Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr Björn Näf, on the eve of the launch.
“This new route is another example of successful and long-established bilateral relationship between Bahrain and India and, Gulf Air, as the national carrier of the Kingdom, is proud to be a part of this growing relationship. Hyderabad is our eighth Indian destination and we hope to further expand our relationship by adding two more destinations in India within a year.”
Highlighting Gulf Air's nearly fifty year-old relationship with India with its first flight to Mumbai in 1960 – one of the first few foreign airlines to operate into India at that time- Mr. Näf commented, “India is a booming economy and Hyderabad, as the fifth largest Indian city, is full of opportunities and an important market for us.”
The daily non-stop service between Bahrain and Hyderabad will be served by an Airbus A320-200 with business and economy class providing two-way connectivity to many other major markets within the region.
“We are glad to have launched our services to Hyderabad, which has already become popular with our customers,” says Gulf Air Director Network Mr. Hashim Mahmood. “Our flights to Hyderabad during the first month of our operation have already reached an average booking of over 80% and are nearing full capacity.”
Gulf Air operates over 275 flights per month offering as much as 50,000 seats to eight Indian destinations- Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Trivandrum.
About Gulf Air
Gulf Air was founded in 1950. Today, it is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, and is the only truly pan Gulf carrier in the region. The airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 42 cities in 26 countries. The current fleet of Gulf Air consists of 30 aircraft.
On January 17th Gulf Air Board of Directors confirmed the appointment of Björn Näf as the President and Chief Executive for Bahrain’s national carrier.
Mr. Näf, who brings across the broad experience in aviation industry, has been instrumental in implementing the new revamped network launched on July 1 and is also the commander of a major alignment program to turnaround Gulf Air. The plan entails a simplified and more efficient organization structure; an improved network with lower connection times and better service to key destinations, better on-board product, better customer service on the ground and a better punctuality, which has been improving under his command.
The new network, based on a "wave" model, offers as many as 588 flights every week in the Middle East with more non-stop flights than any other airline.
The airline is also planning to re-fleet itself over the next five years to further strengthen its presence. It recently signed a deal worth nearly US $ 6 billion with Boeing Co. to purchase up to 24 Boeing 787 aircraft.
The airline aims to become the carrier of choice.
Gulf Air’s onboard service caters high quality products and services, including the innovative, unique and award winning Sky Chefs and Sky Nannies.
Some of the notable recognition include:
Best Onboard Catering in First Class 2007 (Sky Trax Awards)
Best Onboard Catering in First Class 2006 (Sky Trax Awards)
Best Onboard Catering in Business Class 2006 (Sky Trax Awards)
Best Business Airline 2006 (British Travel Awards)
Best Onboard Service 2006 (Gold) (Mercury Awards)
Best Onboard Catering in First Class 2005 (Sky Trax Awards)
Best Onboard Catering in Business Class 2005(Sky Trax Awards)
Best designed in-flight magazine 2005 (American Creativity Awards)
Middle East Leading First Class Airline 2005 (World Travel Awards)
World’s Leading Airport Lounge 2005 (World Travel Awards)
Middle East region’s best airport restaurant for its restaurant in Bahrain International Airport lounge 2005 (PAX International Readership Awards)
Official Airline and Sponsor of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2008
