Gulf Air: Information from Answers.com

Company Perspectives:
One of the things Gulf Air takes most pride in is its history. We have come a long way in 50 years--from small-scale commuter service to major international airline--the national carrier of Bahrain, Abu Dhabi (UAE), and Oman. However, be it five or 50 destinations, seven-seater planes or state-of-the-art passenger jets, two things have remained constant--a commitment to the latest aviation technology and an adherence to traditional hospitality.
Key Dates:
1950: Gulf Aviation Company is created.
1951: BOAC acquires a majority control in the company.
1968: Cabin service is introduced.
1970: Service to London is launched with a VC-10.
1973: Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and UAE acquire control of the airline.
1974: Gulf Air becomes the official airline of four shareholding states.
1987: GAMCO maintenance unit is opened.
1993: Major expansion takes places and a fleet renewal program is launched.
2000: Gulf Air's 50th anniversary is celebrated with flights of vintage aircraft.
2003: A recovery plan is launched.

Type: State-Owned Company
Address: P.O. Box 138, Manama, Bahrain
Telephone: (971) 2 633 1700
Fax: (971) 2 632 9721
Web: http://www.gulfairco.com
Employees: 5,000
Sales: BD 340 million ($902 million)(2002)
Incorporated: 1950 as Gulf Aviation Company
NAIC: 481111 Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation; 481112 Scheduled Freight Air Transportation; 488190 Other Support Activities for Air Transportation; 561520 Tour Operators

Gulf Air Company is the national airline of Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It operates a fleet of 30 aircraft to 43 cities in 32 countries from Europe to Asia. The company has developed a reputation for outstanding cabin service and takes pride in its history as a pioneer in the Gulf airline industry and as an example of cooperation between governments.

Gulf Air traces its origins to Gulf Aviation Company, which was established in Bahrain by a young British aviator, Freddy Bosworth. Bosworth had captured the local community's interest in flying via sightseeing trips and soon set up a commuter service between Bahrain, Doha, and Dhahran with his single airplane.

Bosworth secured backing from a group of local businessmen and registered Gulf Aviation Company on March 24, 1950. Operations started on July 5. British Overseas Airways Corp. (BOAC) acquired a 55.5 percent interest the next year.

Most of the airline's business was charter work for oil companies. The company started out operating rather small aircraft. Its first plane, the Avro Anson Mark 1, seated seven people. It was replaced in 1951 by the de Havilland Dove, which had room for one more person. The Dove flew for Gulf Air until the 1960s. Gulf Air was also using four-engine de Havilland Herons, which could carry more people and cargo and fly them farther.

The scheduled network grew. Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain, Kuwait, Muscat, and Sharjah were connected in the 1950s. In the 1960s, Bandar Abbas, Bombay, Dubai, Karachi, Salalah, and Shiraz were added, while Fokker F27 turboprops replaced older model aircraft in 1968. This was an especially significant year because it marked the beginning of in-flight service for Gulf Air, an area that would become one of the pillars of the company's reputation.

In 1973, BOAC's controlling shareholding was bought by four Arab governments: Bahrain, Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, and Abu Dhabi (on behalf of the United Arab Emirates). The airline was named the official flag carrier of each of the four countries in the Foundation Treaty of January 1, 1974. Gulf Air linked these member states with other Middle Eastern countries. It also built hotels in each of the four to accommodate business travelers.

Gulf Air used VC-10 airliners made by British Aircraft Corp. to launch service to London in April 1970. (The BAC 1-11 had been the airline's first jet.) The acquisition of the VC-10s was accompanied by a technical assistance and training agreement with British Airways. BA was also something of a competitor and launched a London-Bahrain service via Concorde two years later. As successor to BOAC, British Airways inherited a strong presence throughout the Gulf.

The narrowbody VC-10 aircraft were intended only as an interim means to start intercontinental service. In 1976, Gulf Air began receiving deliveries of its replacement, the widebody Lockheed L-1011 TriStars, as well as mid-sized Boeing 737 airliners. The VC-10s were shifted to less established international routes. (Service between the four partner countries was considered domestic.)

The growth of international business led to a four-fold increase in the number of employees. Gulf Air had 800 employees in mid-1974, reported Aviation Week & Space Technology, and about 3,300 at the start of 1976. The L-1011 operation was initially based on crews hired from the defunct British charter carrier Court Line Aviation, Ltd., but Gulf Air was working towards having a 100 percent Arab staff.

Gulf Air posted a record profit of $51.8 million in 1983 when it carried 2.6 million passengers. (The year was marred by the loss of an airliner to a bomb.) By 1986, unfortunately, Gulf Air was posting its first loss of the decade ($5.5 million) as the region's oil revenues declined while the international market remained competitive. Emirates Airlines, a new carrier in the UAE, would make it more so, though its activities were coordinated with that of Gulf Air and Kuwait Airways by the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Gulf Air continued to become more independent. It opened its Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (GAMCO) unit in Abu Dhabi in 1987. It owned interests in hotels; Bahrain Airport Services; Gulf Helicopters; and GCC Aviation Services, a caterer.

Boeing 767 airliners were added to the fleet in 1988, improving the company's on-time performance. Airbus A320s were added in 1992 to phase out the fleet of ten Boeing 737s. Two years later saw the arrival of Airbus A340s.

Gulf Air retrenched during the downturn in business precipitated by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, laying off 350 employees in 1990 en route to a loss of $95 million. However, by the end of 1991 a recovery was already in evidence, and the airline rapidly rolled out expansion plans. New routes (Singapore, Sydney, Thiruvananthapuram) and new planes were added. Gulf Air achieved net profits of $48 million in 1991 and 1992; it was one of the few airlines to make money in the early 1990s.

In 1993, Gulf Air unveiled a $10 million ad campaign pitching the carrier as "The International Smile of the Gulf." Routes extended as far as Australia, Hong Kong, and Johannesburg, and the company was carrying nearly four million passengers a year. By the end of 1993, Gulf Air was planning an initial public offering to offset the cost of a $2.2 billion expansion, which made the airline the largest in the Middle East, flying about 40 aircraft to 50 destinations. Tentative plans for a stock offering dated back to 1984. At the time, Gulf Air had 5,000 employees, more than half of them Gulf nationals. The airline opened an aviation college in Doha that year, led by former CEO Ali Ibrahim Al-Malki.

Significant passenger perks were introduced in 1994, including an in-flight entertainment system on long-haul planes and the new FALCON Frequent Flyer Program.

After making money for four years, Gulf Air posted a $159 million loss in 1995. Contributing factors were a downturn in the regional economy and very high levels of competition, according its new president and CEO, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif al-Nahyan.

By 1997, Gulf Air was more than $1 billion in debt, leading to more route cutbacks (including services to New York, Geneva, and Johannesburg) and the sale of 17 aircraft worth $850 million. This left a fleet of 28, six of them leased.

The staff had become almost entirely made up of Arabs by the mid-1990s; most of the 3,000 employees were from Bahrain. However, during the late-1990s crisis, a couple of former British Airways executives were brought in.

Shareholder states Qatar and Oman were developing their own airlines, Qatar Airways and Oman Aviation, complicating decisions on how to re-capitalize Gulf Air as well as diluting its business. In addition, Emirates Airlines had been operating out of Abu Dhabi for more than a decade, though that government was aiming to infuse more capital into Gulf Air in exchange for a higher ownership stake. After considerable losses in 1995 ($159 million) and 1996, Gulf Air was again able to post an operating profit ($48 million) in 1997.

New uniforms in gray, blue, and peach were introduced in Gulf Air's 50th anniversary year. As part of the celebration, Gulf Air hired two vintage aircraft--an Avro Anson and a de Havilland Dove--to recreate the company's first flights. Sadly, in August 2000 Gulf Air also experienced its second fatal crash ever and the loss of an Airbus A320.

Passenger numbers were falling worldwide, exacerbating Gulf Air's struggle with a heavy debt load. Gulf Air posted a $98.1 million loss for 2000 and a $132.3 million one for 2001. The partners invested $159.2 million in a restructuring package in May 2001. A year later, Qatar announced it was withdrawing its 25 percent stake, preferring to focus its resources on Qatar Airways. The remaining partners provided another $81 million capital injection.

For the first time, the airline hired an airline professional as CEO: James Hogan, who formerly held top jobs at Ansett Airlines and British Midland International. While cutting costs, Hogan also sought to develop the partnership with tourism sections of the three shareholding partners.

In November 2002, Gulf Air rolled out a new first class service. On flights to London, Paris, and Frankfurt, this featured chefs from elite European restaurants preparing food to order--the "Restaurant in the Sky" concept. A holiday package focusing on Oman, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain was introduced at the same time with the aim of attracting tourists to the region despite the impending war with Iraq.

The next month, the three remaining partners injected 90 million dinars ($238 million) in a demonstration of their commitment to Gulf Air, which lost BD52 million in 2001. Early signs of a turnaround were in evidence; the 2002 loss of just under BD41 million ($110 million) was about BD8 million less than had been predicted.

A new three-year recovery plan officially began on January 1, 2003. The company was planning to expand its route network and increase its fleet. In May, Gulf Air launched its Gulf Traveller subsidiary, "the region's first full service all-economy airline." Gulf Traveller, which was started with six of Gulf Air's Boeing 767s, flew short and medium haul routes around the Gulf and to the Indian subcontinent. These were already served by Gulf Air's main line; the new operation offered additional frequency of flights for leisure travelers and expatriate employees. Business travelers were to be wooed by replacing once or twice daily service on full size airliners with more frequent smaller regional jet flights.

New livery featuring a restyled falcon was unfurled in April 2003, underscoring Gulf Air's commitment to improvement. The company perched an 11-meter tall neon golden falcon atop the Falcon Tower in Manama, Bahrain. Gulf Air's six-year-old Web site was revamped in the same month.

The airline was also planning to establish a reservations center in Muscat that would employ 300 Omani nationals. Gulf Air aimed to reduce its losses to BD20 million in 2003 and to break even by 2004. To bring in traffic from the rest of the world, Gulf Air was planning to join a global airline alliance. It was also discussing potential areas of cooperation with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Oman Air.

Principal Subsidiaries

Alzouman Aviation; Gulf Air; Gulf Air Cargo; Gulf Air Holidays; Gulf Traveller.

Principal Competitors

Emirates Airlines; Oman Aviation; Qatar Airways.

Gulf Air

IATA GF	ICAO GFA	Callsign GULF AIR
Founded	1950
Hubs	Bahrain International Airport
Focus cities	London Heathrow Airport Dubai International Airport
Frequent flyer program	Gulf Air Frequent Flyer Programme
Member lounge	Gulf Air Lounge
Fleet size	34 (+59 orders)
Destinations	41
Headquarters	Manama, Bahrain
Key people	Samer Majali, CEO Talal Al-Zain , Chairman
Website: http://www.gulfair.com

History

^{[citation needed]}

In the late 1940s, Freddie Bosworth (a British pilot and entrepreneur) began an air taxi service to Doha and Dhahran from Bahrain. Bosworth later expanded this service and on the 24 March 1950, he registered Gulf Aviation as a private share-holding company, making it one of the oldest carriers in the Middle East.^[2] Seven Avro Ansons and 3 De Havilland DH.86B 4-engine biplanes formed the fleet, but more modern aircraft were needed. Bosworth chose the De Havilland Dove but while preparing to introduce the type into service he was killed on a demonstration flight at Croydon on 9 June 1951.

In October 1951 British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) became a major shareholder in Gulf Aviation, holding a 22% stake.^[1] Gulf Aviation began services to London in April 1970 with a Vickers VC10 and, with the introduction of BOAC, saw a succession of updated aircraft entering the fleet.

VC-10 at London Heathrow Airport in 1977

The turning point for Gulf Aviation came in 1973 when the governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Sultanate of Oman purchased BOAC's shares in Gulf Aviation. The Foundation Treaty signed on 1 January 1974 gave each government a 25% shareholding in the re-branded Gulf Air, which became the national carrier for the four states in the Persian Gulf. Later that year, the airline's support of oil exploration resulted in the establishment of the wholly owned Gulf Helicopters subsidiary.^[1]

With leased Lockheed L-1011 Tristar and Boeing 737s joining the fleet, by 1976 Gulf Air had expanded its route network to include: Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Baghdad, Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo, Colombo, Delhi, Dhaka, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Khartoum, Larnaca, Manila, Paris, Ras al-Khaimah and San‘a’. The fleet comprised 4 Vickers VC10s, 3 BAC One-Elevens, 2 Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 200s, and 5 Boeing 737-200s. Two years later the Tristar fleet had doubled, replacing the VC10s, and the Boeing 737s had increased to 9, resulting in the phasing out of the One-Elevens.

The 1980s saw an increase in air travel and growth for Gulf Air. In 1981 Gulf Air became an IATA member and in the following year became the first international airline to land at Riyadh. In 1988 the Boeing 767s joined the fleet and services to Frankfurt, Istanbul, Damascus, Dar es Salaam, Fujairah and Nairobi were launched, with services to Shiraz and Baghdad resumed.

Gulf Air celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1990 . The light blue and peach Balenciaga-designed uniform was introduced. Singapore, Sydney and Trivandrum were launched and Gulf Air became the first Arab airline to fly to Australia. Gulf Air added Johannesburg and Melbourne to its network (1992), becoming the first Arab airline to fly directly to these cities. The following year it opened up a Flight Simulator Centre in Qatar. The same year saw the introduction of services to Casablanca, Entebbe, Jakarta, Kilimanjaro, Madras, Rome, San'a', Zanzibar, and Zürich.

In May 1994, Gulf Air received its first Airbus A340-300. Gulf Air introduced a no-smoking policy on flights to Singapore and Australia in 1998 which later extended throughout its whole network. In 1999 , Gulf Air also launched three new routes in North Pakistan: Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar. It also took delivery of two (out of six) Airbus A330-200 aircraft and a new Balmain uniform was introduced.^{[citation needed]} In 2000 the airline celebrated its 50th anniversary. It took delivery of the remaining Airbus A330-200 aircraft in June of that year, and launched services to Milan. In May 2002 James Hogan became President and CEO of Gulf Air and instigated a three year restructuring and turnaround programme, which was launched in response to a drastic fall in profits at the company and ever-increasing debt. The Gulf Air Board unanimously approved the three-year recovery plan at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 18 December. This month also saw the withdrawal of the State of Qatar from Gulf Air. In 2003 Gulf Air introduced a new Landor Associates designed livery. June 1, 2003 saw the establishment of Gulf Traveller, a subsidiary all-economy full-service airline.

Gulf Air also announced a sponsorship deal for the Bahrain Grand Prix which will last until 2010 . This deal created the Gulfair Bahrain Grand Prix, of which the first was staged in 2004. Gulf Air also introduced direct daily flights to Athens and Sydney, via Singapore, on 23 November 2003.

In 2004, Gulf Air introduced direct flights between Dubai and London and Muscat and London, and a daily service between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah and carried a record 7.5 million passengers during this year. Gulf Air's sponsorship of the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix continued, with a record race crowd and a global TV audience.

A return to profit was announced, with the best financial performance since 1997 . Despite a BD30 million (US$80 million) cost to the business through fuel price rises during the year, Gulf Air recorded a profit of BD1.5 million (US$4.0 million) in the calendar year to December 2004, on revenues up 23.8% to BD476.3 million (US$1.26 billion) (2003: BD 384.6 million / USD1,020.2 million). The results meant the airline out-performed the targets set under Project Falcon, the three-year restructuring plan approved by the Board in December 2002.

The owner states of Gulf Air at that time - the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Sultanate of Oman - confirmed their support for further expansion of the airline, through a new three-year strategic plan which would include re-equipment of the aircraft fleet and recapitalization of the business through private sector financing. Gulf Air was also placed on the IOSA registry following its successful completion of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

The new summer schedule commencing 28 April 2006 saw the complete withdrawal of Abu Dhabi as a hub following the decision on the 13 September 2005, by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, to withdraw from Gulf Air and establish its own airline, Etihad Airways.^[2] Gulf Air changed its operations to a dual hub basis between Bahrain and Muscat airports. The airline produced a series of adverts in local newspapers thanking Abu Dhabi for its contribution to Gulf Air. Due to the airline being the national carrier for the United Arab Emirates for over 35 years, it has a large customer base located in Abu Dhabi. Gulf Air endeavoured to show the continuing support for flights to Abu Dhabi from Bahrain and Muscat, connecting to the rest of the Gulf Air network, via adverts placed in local newspapers.

Gulf Air has an aircraft simulator facility at its Bahrain Headquarters. The BD5.5 million facility will offer real-time, simulated on-board training to pilots on Boeing 767, Airbus A320 family aircraft and A330/340 in three flight simulators.

On the 27 April 2006, the Governments of Bahrain and Thailand signed an 'Open Skies' agreement which allowed an unlimited and unrestricted number of flights between the two nations. Gulf Air operates daily flights to Bangkok from Bahrain, with four flights a week from Muscat. With this new agreement in place, Gulf Air will double its frequency to Thailand by July 2006, with 14 flights a week between Bahrain and Thailand.

James Hogan resigned his position as President and Chief Executive Officer (PCE) as of October 1, 2006, and has since taken the position of CEO at rival airline Etihad. Ahmed Al Hammadi was named acting CEO until Swiss national André Dosé (former CEO of Crossair and Swiss International Air Lines) took on April 1, 2007.

A few days later, he announced a BD310 million (USD825 million) restructuring plan which included: all flights originate from or arrive at Bahrain; routes to Johannesburg, Dublin, Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney cancelled; withdrawal of the nine Boeing 767 from the fleet; phased withdrawal of the Airbus A340-300 from the fleet; introduction of the Airbus A321 in July 2007 and of the Airbus A330-300 in 2009 and layoffs that will not differentiate between employees' nationalities but will be solely performance-based. This led to some employees applying for jobs in other airlines, and in less than a month Gulf Air lost 500 persons from its workforce. This rapid decline of personnel required a senior official to state that "Gulf Air will not be sacking any staff under its recovery plan, but it will be weeding out those who don't do their jobs".

The airline is aiming at cutting its workforce by 25 percent through people leaving naturally or accepting voluntary early retirement packages, and the company has a recruitment freeze.

On 6 May 2007, the government of Bahrain claimed 100% ownership of the airline as joint-owner Oman withdrew from the airline. André Dosé resigned on 23 July 2007 and was replaced as CEO by Bjorn Naf.

On 6 November 2007, Gulf Air started its third daily non-stop flight to London Heathrow Airport from Bahrain. On the same day, Gulf Air became 100% Bahrain-owned.

The airline inaugurated services to Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 16 June 2008 and Hyderabad International Airport on 1 July 2008 and has placed orders with Boeing (for 24 B787s) and Airbus (for 15 A320s and 20 A330s) to upgrade its fleet.

The last commercial B767 flight was on 29 May 2008 and the aircraft was flown to Dublin on 30 May 2008.

On 3 July 2008, Gulf Air was announced as the official sponsor of upcoming English football club, Queens Park Rangers.

Gulf Air signed in 2008 a lease agreement for five aircraft with International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) as part of the airline's growth and expansion strategy. The lease is for six years for two Airbus A319-100 (delivered in September 2008) and three Airbus A330-200 (due for delivery in March, April and May 2009).

In March 2009, Gulf Air signed a 42-months lease agreement with Jet Airways for 4 Boeing B777-300ER aircraft. The first 6 months of the term are for a wet-lease arrangement (Jet Airways pilots with Gulf Air cabin crew) to be followed by a 36-months dry-lease (all Gulf Air crew). However, the dry-lease portion of the agreement was cancelled in May 2009 and the aircraft will be returned to Jet Airways starting in September 2009.

Gulf Air announced in March 2009 the suspension of service to Kolkata from 29 March 2009. Service to Bangalore and Hyderabad also stopped on that date for 6 months.

Destinations

Gulf Air flies to 41 international destinations in 26 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe from its Hub at Bahrain International Airport^[3].

Main article: Gulf Air destinations

Gulf Air destination guides

**Route Changes**
Origin	Destination	Start Date	End Date	Aircraft
Bahrain International Airport	Alexandria International Airport	-	15 September, 2009	Airbus A320-200
	Salalah International Airport		9 September, 2009
	Aleppo International Airport		12 September, 2009
	Bangalore International Airport	25 October, 2009	-
	Hyderabad International Airport	25 October, 2009	-

Fleet

The Gulf Air fleet includes the following aircraft^[4]:

**Gulf Air Fleet**
Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Engines	Passengers (First/Business/Economy)	Routes (To and from Bahrain)	Entry Into Service
Airbus A319-100	2	0	CFM CFM56-5B	124 (0/16/108)	Abu Dhabi, Athens, Dammmam, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Kuwait, Muscat	In Service
Airbus A320-200	11	15	CFM CFM56-5A	136 (0/16/120)	Abu Dhabi , Aleepo, Alexandria, Amman, Athens, Beirut, Chennai, Damascus, Dammam, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Karachi, Khartoum, Kochi, Kuwait, Larnaca, Mumbai, Muscat, Salalah, Sana'a, Shiraz, Tehran, Thiruvananthapuram	In Service
Airbus A321-200	2	0	CFM CFM56-5B	170 (0/20/150)	Abu Dhabi, Alexandria, Amman, Athens Beirut, Damascus, Dammam, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Khartoum, Kuwait, Mashad, Mumbai, Muscat, Peshwar, Salalah, Shiraz, Tehran	In Service
Airbus A330-200	10	0	RR Trent 772B	258 (8/42/208)	Amman, Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Karachi, Kathmandu, Khartoum, Kuwait, London-Heathrow, Mashad, Mumbai, Paris, Peshwar, Riyadh, Shanghai, Tehran	In Service
Airbus A330-300	0	20	RR Trent 772B	TBA	N/A	2011
Airbus A340-300	9	0	CFM CFM56-5C	249 (8/24/217) 293(12/24/257)	Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Dubai, Islamabad, Jeddah, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kuwait, Lahore, London-Heathrow, Manila, Mashad, Mumbai, Riyadh, Tehran	In Service
Boeing 777-300ER	4	0	GE GE90-115B	312 (8/30/274)	Bangkok, Cairo, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, London-Heathrow, Manila, Riyadh	In Service
Boeing 787-8	0	24	TBA	TBA	N/A	2012
Total	38	59

On 21 January 2008, Gulf Air finalized a deal with Boeing for 16 Boeing 787-8s with a further eight purchase rights.
On 28 May 2008, Gulf Air placed a firm order with Airbus for 35 jetliners worth $5.17 billion at list price. The order is for 15 single-aisle Airbus A320 family planes and 20 Airbus A330-300 widebodies. ^[5]
On 4 September 2008, Gulf Air converted its 8 Boeing 787-8 options into orders, bringing their number up to 24. This was during a visit from the Bahraini Crown Prince to Seattle, where he was greeted by Boeing officials.

Frequent Flyer Programme

^{[citation needed]}

Gulf Air launched the "Gulf Air Frequent Flyer Programme" in 2003 replacing the "Falcon Frequent Flyer Programme". The "Frequent Flyer Programme" won four awards at the 17th Annual Freddie Awards. These awards are decided by frequent travellers.

1st Place - Best Award Redemption, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa
1st Place - Best Customer Service, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa
1st Place - Best Award, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa
1st Place - Best Website, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa

Frequent Flyer Programme Airline Partnership
"Cathay Pacific"
"Jet Airways"
"Oman Air"
"Virgin Atlantic Airways"

Frequent Flyer Programme Car Retal Agencies Partnership
"Dollar Rent A Car"
"Hertz"
"Sixt Rent A Car"
"Thrifty Car Rental"

Program Level	Baggage Alowance	Baggage Tag Types	Lounge Access	Miles	Other
Gold	20 KG Extra	Personal	First, Business & Economy Class	50% Bonus	Highest priority on fully booked Gulf Air flights
Silver	15 KG Extra	Personal	First, Business & Economy Class	25% Bonus	First baggage to be delivered to the reclaim area
Blue	Normal	Personal	First, Business & Economy Class	0% Bonus	Select a specific seat while booking

Members earn miles every time they travel Gulf Air on eligible fares. These miles can later be exchanged for free tickets or free upgrades. Miles awarded will depend on the class of ticket and the number of miles flown, and are listed alongside the loyalty points on the member's quarterly statement.

Codeshare agreements

Subsidiaries

Gulf Traveller

The company's all Economy class airline Gulf Traveller ceased operations in April 2007. The airline's operations became unprofitable following the pull out of Abu Dhabi followed by Oman, the restructuring of Gulf Air, and the phasing out of its 767 fleet as well as some other types.

Livery

Before 2003 the livery was predominantly white with a small golden falcon at the tail on a background of red, green and maroon stripes which represented the original four owner states of the Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Since 2003 the livery has been fully gold at the front with white at the rear and a large redesigned falcon at the tail. In April 2008 Gulf Air announced that it has brought in UK-based design consultancy James Park Associates to redesign all aircraft interiors, its logo, uniforms and passenger lounges, as well as make changes to in-flight entertainment systems. ^[6]

Fleet refurbishment and expansion

Gulf Air is looking to lease additional wide-body long-haul capacity and will be adding three former MEA A330s to its fleet in early 2009. It has also placed orders for A330s and B787s as well as awaiting delivery on 20 further A320s.^[7]

A330 interior refurbishment

^{[citation needed]}

The A330 aircraft refurbishment was completed in June 2005. All A330 aircraft now have the Gulf Air Sky Beds in First and Business Class Cabins.

The First Class cabin seating configuration is 1-2-1 and accommodates 8 passengers. It has an 80-inch pitch and 25-inch width bed with 180-degree recline. The Class 180 seat also converts to a full size bed. Individual screen size: 15-inch.

The Business Class cabin seating configuration is 2-2-2 and accommodates 24 passengers. It has an 63-inch pitch and 24-inch width bed with 163-degree recline. Individual screen size: 10.4-inch.

The Economy Class cabin seating configuration is 2-4-2 and accommodates 183 passengers. It has a 32-34-inch pitch and 18-inch seat width with 102-degree recline. Individual screen size: 6.5-inch.

A340 interior refurbishment

^{[citation needed]}

The refurbishment of part of the A340 fleet was completed in August 2006. The A340-312 (Version A) aircraft still have not been refurbished although all A340-300 aircraft now have the Gulf Air Sky Beds in First and Business Class Cabins.

A340-300 details (Version B)

The First Class cabin seating configuration is 1-2-1 and accommodates 8 passengers. It has an 80-inch pitch and 25-inch width bed with 180-degree recline. The Class 180 seat also converts to a full size bed. Individual screen size: 15-inch.

The Business Class cabin seating configuration is 2-2-2 and accommodates 24 passengers. It has an 73-inch pitch and 24-inch width bed with 169-degree recline. Individual screen size: 10.4-inch.

The Economy Class cabin seating configuration is 2-4-2 and accommodates 217 passengers. It has a 32-34-inch pitch and 18-inch seat width with 102-degree recline. Individual screen size: 6.5-inch.

Incidents and accidents

23 Sep 1983: Gulf Air Flight 771 was a flight from Karachi, Pakistan to the Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. On 23 September 1983, while the Boeing 737-2P6^[8] was on approach to Abu Dhabi International Airport, a bomb exploded in the baggage compartment. The plane crashed in the desert near Mina Jebel Ali between Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE. All seven crew members and 105 passengers died. Most of the dead were Pakistani nationals, many returning to jobs in the Gulf after spending the Eid holiday following Ramadan, with their families in Pakistan.^[9] (Note: The Eid ul-Fitr, following Ramadan, was in mid-July 1983, not in September.) The bomb was apparently planted by the Abu Nidal organization, to convince Saudi Arabia to pay protection money to Nidal so as to avoid attacks on their soil.^[10] Kuwait and theUnited Arab Emirates paid the money soon after the bombing.

23 Aug 2000: Gulf Air Flight 072 crashed into the Persian Gulf on approach to Bahrain International Airport from Cairo. The A320 with 143 passengers and crew on board approached the landing at higher speeds than normal and carried out an unusual low altitude orbit in an attempt to correct the approach.^[11]^[12] The orbit was unsuccessful and a go-around was attempted. While carrying out a turning climb the aircraft entered a descent at 15 degrees nose down. The aircrew did not respond to repeated GPWS warnings^[13] and approximately one minute after starting the go-around the aircraft disappeared from radar screens.^[14] There were no survivors. 36 children were on the aircraft [3]. The accident investigation concluded that the primary cause of the crash was pilot error (including spatial disorientation), with a secondary factor being systemic organizational and oversight issues.^[15] Flight 072 was the the highest death toll of any accident involving an Airbus A320 at that time. It was subsequently surpassed by TAM Airlines Flight 3054, which crashed on 17 July 2007 with 199 fatalities.

References

Gulf Daily News
Trade Arabia
Trade Arabia Business Information and Trade News Portal
AAK News (in Arabic)
Gulf Daily News
Gulf Daily News
Gulf Daily News

^ ^a ^b ^c Flight International 3 April 2007
^ ^a ^b "Gulf Air adds new routes to China and India; increasing capacity to Europe this winter". anna.aero. 03/10/08. http://www.anna.aero/2008/10/03/gulf-air-adds-new-routes-to-china-and-india/.
^ Route Map
^ [1]
^ Airbus says Gulf Air has ordered 35 planes, including 15 A320s and 20 A330-300s - International Herald Tribune
^ FLUG REVUE June 2003: Gulf Air reshapes its image
^ anna.aero 3rd October 2008 article[2]
^ http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=09231983&reg=A40-BK&airline=Gulf+Air
^ The Gulf Times, Qatar, (24 September 1983)
^ -> News -> World -> Abu Nidal behind 1983 Gulf Air bombing: Aide
^ "Airbus A320 A40-EK accident record". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000823-0&lang=en. "..significantly higher than standard aircraft speeds during the descent and the first approach... ...performing an orbit, a non-standard manoeuvre, close to the runway at low altitude".."
^ Civil Aviation Authority of Bahrain. "[http://web.archive.org/web/20040212231659/http://www.bahrainairport.com/caa/gf072.html ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT Gulf Air Flight GF-072]". http://web.archive.org/web/20040212231659/http://www.bahrainairport.com/caa/gf072.html.
^ Civil Aviation Authority of Bahrain. "[http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.bahrainairport.com/caa/gf072/pdf/conclusions.pdf ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT Gulf Air Flight GF-072]". http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.bahrainairport.com/caa/gf072/pdf/conclusions.pdf. "4b. The analysis of FDR and CVR recordings indicated that neither the captain nor the first officer perceived, or effectively responded to, the threat of the aircraft's increasing proximity to the ground in spite of repeated hard GPWS warnings..."
^ Bureau Enquetes-Accidents. "Airbus A320 A4O-EK accident record - Graphic - A40-EK Flight Path dervied from Lat and Long FDR Parameters". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/photos/displayphoto.php?id=20000823-0&vnr=1&kind=G.
^ "Airbus A320 A4O-EK accident record". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000823-0&lang=en. "The investigation showed that no single factor was responsible for the accident to GF-072. The accident was the result of a fatal combination of many contributory factors, both at the individual and systemic levels."

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Asia-Pacific regional office

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China and North Asia regional office

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Europe regional office

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Latin America and the Caribbean regional office

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Middle East and North Africa regional office

Afriqiyah Airways · Air Algérie · Air Sénégal International · Arkia Israel Airlines · CAL Cargo Air Lines · Caspian Airlines · DHL International Aviation ME · EgyptAir · El Al · Emirates Airline · Etihad Airways · Gulf Air · Iran Air · Iran Aseman Airlines · Israir Airlines · Jordan Aviation · Kish Air · Kuwait Airways · Libyan Airlines · Mahan Air · Middle East Airlines · Oman Air · Pakistan International Airlines · Qatar Airways · Royal Air Maroc · Royal Jordanian · Saudi Arabian Airlines · Sudan Airways · Syrian Arab Airlines · Tassili Airlines · Tunisair · Yemenia

North America regional office

Air Canada · Air Transat · Alaska Airlines · American Airlines · Atlas Air · Cargojet Airways · Continental Airlines · Delta Air Lines · FedEx Express · Northwest Airlines · United Airlines · UPS Airlines · US Airways

Russia and the CIS regional office

Aeroflot · Aeroflot-Don · Aerosvit Airlines · Air Astana · Air Moldova · Armavia · Azerbaijan Airlines · Belavia · Rossiya · S7 Airlines · Transaero · Ukraine International Airlines · UTair Aviation · Vladivostok Air · Volga-Dnepr

Members of the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO)

Afriqiyah Airways · Air Algérie · Air Arabia · Air Cairo · EgyptAir · Emirates · Etihad Airways · Gulf Air · Iraqi Airways · Jordan Aviation · Kuwait Airways · Libyan Airlines · Middle East Airlines · Oman Air · Palestinian Airlines · Qatar Airways · Royal Air Maroc · Royal Jordanian · Saudi Arabian Airlines · Sudan Airways · Syrian Arab Airlines · Trans Mediterranean Airways · Tunisair · Yemenia

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Gulf Air

Contents

History

Destinations

Fleet

Frequent Flyer Programme

Codeshare agreements

Subsidiaries

Gulf Traveller

Sponsors

Livery

Fleet refurbishment and expansion

A330 interior refurbishment

A340 interior refurbishment

Incidents and accidents

References

External links

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