Gulf Air

Gulf Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
GF GFA GULF AIR
Founded 1950 (as Gulf Aviation)
Hubs Bahrain International Airport
Frequent-flyer program Falcon Flyer
Fleet size 33
Destinations 50
Parent company Government of Bahrain
Headquarters Muharraq, Bahrain
Key people
  • Krešimir Kučko, Deputy CEO[1]
  • Zayed Rashid Al Zayani, Chairman[2]
Website gulfair.com

Gulf Air (Arabic: طيران الخليج Ṭayarān al-Khalīj) is the flag carrier of Bahrain. Headquartered in Muharraq,[3] adjacent to Bahrain International Airport,[4] the airline operates scheduled services to 50 destinations in 27 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport.[5] It was formerly a multinational airline owned by Bahrain, UAE, Oman, and Qatar.

History

1949–1973: Gulf Aviation as operating company

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 service and, on 24 March 1950, registered Gulf Aviation Company Limited as a private shareholding company.[6] This makes its current operating company, Gulf Air, one of the oldest carriers in the Middle East.[7] The early fleet contained seven Avro Ansons and three de Havilland DH.86B four-engine biplanes.

In October 1951, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) became a major shareholder in Gulf Aviation, holding a 22% stake through the BOAC subsidiary company BOAC Associated Companies.[6]

1970s: Full national ownership

A Gulf Air Vickers VC-10 landing at London Heathrow Airport in 1977

In 1973 the governments of the Emirate (now Kingdom) of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Sultanate of Oman agreed to purchase the BOAC Associated Companies holding in Gulf Aviation.[6] The Foundation Treaty was signed on 1 January 1974 and gave each government a 25% shareholding in Gulf Aviation, which became a holding company. The operating company was now branded as Gulf Air and became the flag carrier for the four states.[6]

With leased Lockheed L-1011 Tristar and Boeing 737 aircraft joining the fleet, by 1976 Gulf Air had expanded its route network to include Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Baghdad, Bombay, Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo, Colombo, Delhi, Dhaka, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Karachi, Khartoum, Larnaca, Manila, Paris, Ras al-Khaimah and Sana'a. The fleet comprised four Vickers VC10, three BAC One-Elevens, two Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 200s and five Boeing 737–200s. In 1978, the airline doubled the Tristar fleet to replace the VC10s. Meanwhile, the airline increased the Boeing 737 fleet to nine and phased out the One-Elevens.[6]

1980s–1992: Expansion

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 1985, Emirates, the startup national carrier of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, began operating, and would later become a major rival of Gulf Air.

In 1988, Boeing 767s joined the fleet, and the airline launched service to Frankfurt, Istanbul, Damascus, Dar es Salaam, Fujairah and Nairobi, and resumed service to Shiraz and Baghdad.[6]

Gulf Air celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1990. The light-blue and peach Balenciaga-designed uniform was introduced. Services to Singapore, Sydney and Thiruvananthapuram were launched, Gulf Air thereby becoming the first Arab airline to fly to Australia. Gulf Air added services to Johannesburg and Melbourne in 1992, becoming the first Arab airline to fly directly to these cities. In 1993, it opened a flight-simulator centre in Qatar, and introduced service to Casablanca, Entebbe, Jakarta, Kilimanjaro, Madras, Rome, San'a', Zanzibar and Zürich.[6]

1993–2005: New livery and destinations

In May 1994, Gulf Air received its first Airbus A340-300. A no-smoking policy was established in 1998 on flights to Singapore and Australia, which was later extended through its whole network. In 1999, Gulf Air launched three new routes in northern Pakistan: Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar. It also took delivery of two out of six Airbus A330-200 aircraft, and introduced a new Balmain uniform.[6] The Gulf Air website opened in January 1997.[8]

In 2000, the airline celebrated its 50th anniversary. It took delivery of the remaining Airbus A330-200 aircraft in June, and launched service to Milan.[6]

In May 2002, James Hogan became President and CEO of Gulf Air and instigated a restructuring and turnaround programme in response to a drastic fall in profits and increasing debt. The Gulf Air board unanimously approved the three-year plan at an extraordinary general meeting held on 18 December. By 1 August 2002 the State of Qatar announced intentions to withdraw from Gulf Air. The state remained a member state for a six-month period after announcing the intention to withdraw.[9]

In 2003, Gulf Air introduced a new Landor Associates-designed livery and, in June, established Gulf Traveller, a subsidiary, all-economy, full-service airline. It also announced a sponsorship deal for the Bahrain Grand Prix through 2010, creating the Gulfair Bahrain Grand Prix, of which the first was staged in 2004. The airline also introduced daily flights to Athens and Sydney via Singapore on 23 November 2003.[6]

In 2004, Gulf Air introduced direct flights between Dubai and London, Muscat and London, and a daily service between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. The airline carried a record 7.5 million passengers during that year.[6] Gulf Air's sponsorship of the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix continued, with a record race crowd and a global TV audience. The airline announced a return to profit, 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.[6]

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).

2006–2008: Bahrain takes over

A now retired Gulf Air Airbus A340-300 in 2007

The new summer schedule commencing 28 April 2006 saw the complete withdrawal from Abu Dhabi as a hub, following the decision on 13 September 2005 by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to withdraw from Gulf Air and establish its own airline, Etihad Airways.[7] Gulf Air changed its operations to a dual-hub basis between Bahrain and Muscat airports. The airline ran a series of advertisements in local newspapers, thanking Abu Dhabi for its contribution to Gulf Air. As 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 continuing support for flights to Abu Dhabi from Bahrain and Muscat, connecting to the rest of the Gulf Air network, via advertisements placed in local newspapers.

James Hogan resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer as of 1 October 2006 (subsequently becoming CEO at rival airline Etihad). Ahmed Al Hammadi was named acting chief executive officer, until Swiss national André Dosé, the former chief executive officer of Crossair and Swiss International Air Lines, became CEO on 1 April 2007. A few days later, Dosé announced a BD310 million (USD825 million) restructuring plan. This included originating or terminating all flights in Bahrain; ceasing routes to Johannesburg, Dublin, Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney; eliminating all Boeing 767s and Airbus A340-300s from the fleet; introducing the Airbus A321 in July 2007 and the Airbus A330-300 in 2009; and potentially terminating employment based on performance, and without regard for nationality. 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, prompting the airline to rule out mass layoffs as part of its recovery plan, except for performance reasons.

On 5 May 2007, the government of Bahrain claimed full ownership of the airline, as joint-owner Oman withdrew from the airline.[10] André Dosé resigned on 23 July 2007 and was replaced 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 fully owned by Bahrain.

The airline inaugurated services to Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 16 June 2008 (the route was terminated on 25 December 2009). It also placed orders with Boeing (for 16 787s) [11] and Airbus (for 15 A320s and 20 A330s) to upgrade its fleet. The airline's last commercial Boeing 767 flight was on 29 May 2008. On 3 July 2008, Gulf Air was announced as the official sponsor of London association football club, Queens Park Rangers. The same year, Gulf Air signed a lease agreement for five aircraft with International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) as part of its growth and expansion strategy. The lease was for six years for two Airbus A319s and three Airbus A330-200s, due for delivery in March, April and May 2009.

Developments since 2009

A Gulf Air Airbus A320-200 in Bahrain Air Show livery

In March 2009, Gulf Air signed a 42-month lease agreement with Jet Airways for four Boeing 777-300ERs, but the aircraft were returned to Jet Airways starting in September 2009. In May, Gulf Air inaugurated summer seasonal flights to Alexandria, Aleppo and Salalah. On 1 September 2009, Gulf Air resumed flights to Baghdad.[12] Services to Najaf and Erbil began shortly afterward.

Starting June 2009, Gulf Air's Golden Falcon logo was seen on the streets of London, emblazoned on the side of the city's taxi cabs, as part a two-year marketing deal. Fifty Hackney Carriages were to be rolled out in full Gulf Air livery to promote the airline's flights from London Heathrow to Bahrain and beyond.[13] Later in June, the carrier announced the departure of CEO Bjorn Naf and the appointment of Samer Majali (who worked previously for Royal Jordanian) as CEO effective 1 August 2009.

On 1 March 2010, Gulf Air launched its new "Falcon Gold" cabin, a single premium cabin that is aimed at offering higher standards of comfort for the standard premium price. As of August 2011, the new Flat Beds were installed on all aircraft except short-haul aircraft.

Gulf Air logo used until 2018

In 2011, Gulf Air temporarily suspended flights to Iran, Iraq and Lebanon during the height of the Bahraini uprising. The airline originally was to resume service to Iran from November 2012, but cancelled the plan as it was unable to receive approval from the Iranian authorities.[14] Flights to Iran resumed in March 2014.[15]

In November 2012, Gulf Air phased out its last Airbus A340-300. At the end of November 2012, it was announced that Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali's resignation had been accepted by the Board of Directors. Majali left by the end of 2012, after serving the company for three years.[16] Maher Salman Al Musallam was the acting CEO of Gulf Air until May 2016, when he was officially appointed to the role.

At the Bahrain Airshow in January 2016, Gulf Air ordered 17 A321neo and 12 A320neo aircraft for delivery from June 2018, and cancelled a commitment to acquire six A330-300 aircraft.[17] In addition, the airline also announced an restructured order for 16 Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The new order of 16 Boeing 787-9 aircraft replaced an existing order for 16 of the smaller Boeing 787-8 aircraft.[18]

Corporate affairs

Subsidiaries

Gulf Traveller was the all-economy full service subsidiary airline of Gulf Air. Its main base was Abu Dhabi International Airport.[5] It was briefly relocated between Bahrain and Muscat airports after Abu Dhabi pulled out of the Gulf Air consortium in 2005, and in May 2007 Oman also pulled out of the group leaving Bahrain as sole owner of Gulf Air. Gulf Traveller has since been disbanded due to these changes.

Few business figures are released on a regular basis. Key trends available for Gulf Air over recent years are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Turnover (BHDm)
Turnover (US$m)
Net Profit (BHDm) 95.0 196.0 93.3 62.7 24.1
Net Profit (US$m) 250.0 520.0 247.6 166.4 63.9
Number of employees 3,800 2,800
Number of passengers (m)
Passenger load factor (%)
Number of aircraft (at year end) 39 28 28
Notes/sources [19] [20][19] [21] [21] [20][22]

In 2011, due largely to political unrest in the state of Bahrain, Gulf Air lost BHD95 million (USD250 million),[19] and in 2012, the loss grew to BHD196 million (USD520 million).[20] In response, a decision was taken in 2013 to implement a turnaround plan that involved reducing the airline's fleet, number of staff and number of destinations.[19]

In subsequent years the losses reduced, and in 2015, the loss reported was BHD24.1 million (USD63.9 million), an 88% reduction from 2012.[20]

Sponsorship

Gulf Air sponsors events, of which the most prestigious is the Bahrain Grand Prix. This is usually the first, second, third, or fourth race of the Formula One season, and is held in March or April. Gulf Air was also the first ever shirt sponsor of Chelsea F.C. in 1983 and 1984.[23] More recently, it was shirt sponsor of Queens Park Rangers F.C. from 2008 to 2011.[24] It also sponsors the Bahrain International Airshow.

Destinations

As of June 2018, Gulf Air flies to 50 international destinations in 27 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe from its hub at Bahrain International Airport.[25] Gulf Air's own Falcon Gold lounge can be found at the airports of Bahrain, Dubai and London–Heathrow.[26]

Codeshare agreements

Gulf Air has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[27]

Fleet

Current fleet

The Gulf Air fleet consists of the following aircraft as of March 2018:[31][32]

Gulf Air fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total Refs
Airbus A320-200 16 14 96 110 [33]
16 120 136 [34]
Airbus A320neo 1 11 TBA Deliveries began in 2018[35]
Airbus A321-200 6 8 161 169 [36]
Airbus A321neo 8 TBA Delivery starts from 2020
Airbus A321neo/LR 9[37] TBA Delivery starts from 2020
Airbus A330-200 6 8 247 255 [38]
30 184 214 [39]
Boeing 787-9 3 13[11][40] 26 256 282 [41] Deliveries began in 2018[42]
Total 33 46

Former fleet

A now retired Gulf Air Lockheed L-1011 TriStar in 1978

Over the years, Gulf Air operated the following aircraft types:[43][44]

Gulf Air former fleet
Aircraft Introduced Retired Notes
Airbus A319-100 2008 2013
Airbus A340-300 1994 2012
BAC One-Eleven 1969 1978
Boeing 707-320C 1979 1980
Boeing 737-200 1977 1995
Boeing 737-700 2011 2012
Boeing 737-800 2007 2008
Boeing 747-100 1984 1987
Boeing 757-200F 1993 1996
Boeing 767-300ER 1988 2008
Boeing 777-300ER 2009 2010
de Havilland Dove 1951 1964
de Havilland Heron 1956 1967
de Havilland DH.86B 1950 1952
Douglas DC-3 1961 1971
Embraer 170 2010 2012
Embraer 190 2010 2013
Fokker F27 Friendship 1967 1981
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 1976 1998
Short Skyvan 1970 1981
Vickers VC-10 1974 1978

Accidents and incidents

  • 23 September 1983: Gulf Air Flight 771 was a flight from Karachi, Pakistan to Qatar via Abu Dhabi. While the Boeing 737-200[45] was on approach to Abu Dhabi International Airport, a bomb exploded in the baggage compartment. The aircraft 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 fatalities were Pakistani nationals, many returning to jobs in the Gulf after spending the Eid ul-Adha holiday with their families in Pakistan.[46] The bomb was apparently planted by the Abu Nidal Organization, to pressure the Gulf States to pay protection money to Nidal so as to avoid attacks on their soil.[47]
  • 23 August 2000: Gulf Air Flight 072 crashed into the Persian Gulf on approach to Bahrain International Airport from Cairo. The Airbus 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.[48][49] 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[50] and approximately one minute after starting the go-around the aircraft disappeared from radar screens.[51] All 143 passengers and crew, including 36 children, were killed in the accident.[52] 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.[53] Flight 072 was 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.
  • On 29 August 2011, Gulf Air Flight 270, using an Airbus A320-214, from Bahrain to Cochin carrying 143 people, skidded off the runway on landing due to pilot error of loss of situational awareness during reduced visibility conditions. The weather was poor with heavy rain and strong winds. The aircraft was badly damaged with nose gear collapsed and seven passengers were injured. Some people were reported to have jumped from an emergency exit when the evacuation slide failed to deploy.[54][55]

References

Citations

  1. "Gulf Air Appoints New CEO". www.gulfair.com.
  2. "Board of Directors". Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  3. Summers, Mark. "'It's business as usual' at Gulf Air." Gulf Daily News. Wednesday 25 July 2007. Retrieved on 24 September 2009.
  4. "Airline Membership". IATA. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. "Gulf Air Company G.S.C. opposite Bahrain International Airport, Muharraq Manama Bahrain"
  5. 1 2 Flight International 3 April 2007
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Gulf Air History". Gulf Air. Gulf Air. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Gulf Air adds new routes to China and India; increasing capacity to Europe this winter". anna.aero. 3 October 2008.
  8. ""A Message from Gulf Air's President & Chief Executive."". Archived from the original on 29 February 2000. Retrieved 29 May 2011. Gulf Air. 9 December 2000. Retrieved on 29 May 2011.
  9. ""GULF AIR STATEMENT – OWNER STATES."". Archived from the original on 26 February 2003. Retrieved 29 May 2011. Gulf Air. 1 August 2002. Retrieved on 29 May 2011.
  10. Chief, Habib Toumi, Bureau (2007-05-06). "Bahrain now sole owner of Gulf Air". GulfNews. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  11. 1 2 "787 Model Summary Through January 2018".
  12. "Gulf Air adds three Iraqi cities". AMEInfo.com. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  13. Sambidge, Andy (2 June 2009). "Gulf Air signs two-year London taxis marketing deal". Arabian Business. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  14. "Bahrain's Gulf Air says Iran holds up flight resumption". Reuters. 2016-10-17. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  15. "Bahrain's Gulf Air to resume flights to Tehran next month". Reuters. 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  16. "Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali resigns". atwonline.com.
  17. "Gulf Air ups A320neo order but cancels new A330s". Flightglobal.com. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  18. "Bahrain's Gulf Air orders 19 Airbus A320 planes | The National". Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Bahrain to continue to back Gulf Air, but carrier may emerge radically changed | CAPA - Centre for Aviation". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "gulf air reduces losses by 88% in the three years since it embarked upon its restructuring strategy | Gulf Air". www.gulfair.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  21. 1 2 report, Staff (2015-09-15). "Gulf Air reports Bhd62.7m in losses in 2014". GulfNews. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  22. ""It has to make money": Gulf Air aims to clear debts by end of 2016, move into "expansion mode" | Arabian Business.com". Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  23. Moor, Dave. "Chelsea". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  24. Moor, Dave. "Queen's Park Rangers". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  25. "Gulf Air Destinations Map". Gulf Air. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010.
  26. "Lounges - Gulf Air". Gulf Air. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  27. "Profile on Gulf Air". CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  28. 2017, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Aegean / Gulf Air begins codeshare partnership from July 2017".
  29. "Gulf Air". Airliner World (October 2017): 11. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  30. "Gulf Air, Turkish Airlines ink codeshare deal". atwonline.com.
  31. "Gulf Air on ch-aviation". ch-aviation.
  32. "Gulf Air fleet".
  33. "Airbus A320-200ER seat map".
  34. "Airbus A320-200 seat map".
  35. "Gulf Air cuts Boeing 787 order, revises Airbus order". 12 November 2012 via Reuters.
  36. "Airbus A321-200 seat map".
  37. "Bahrain's Gulf Air eyes North American flights from 2020".
  38. "Airbus A330-200 seat map (1)".
  39. "Airbus A330-200 seat map (2)".
  40. "Gulf Air to lease five B787-9s from DAE".
  41. "Boeing 787-9 seat map".
  42. "Gulf Air confirms maiden B787-9 due in early 2Q18". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  43. "Gulf Air Fleet - Airfleets aviation". airfleets.net.
  44. "Gulf Air Fleet Details and History". aPlanespotters.net.
  45. "Accident Database". AirDisaster.Com. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  46. The Gulf Times, Qatar, (24 September 1983)
  47. "Abu Nidal - The Sooner the Better". International Institute of Counter-Terrorism. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  48. "Airbus A320 A40-EK accident record". Aviation Safety Network. ..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"..
  49. "ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT Gulf Air Flight GF-072". Civil Aviation Authority of Bahrain. Archived from the original on 12 February 2004.
  50. "ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT Gulf Air Flight GF-072" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Bahrain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2004. 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...
  51. "Airbus A320 A4O-EK accident record – Graphic – A40-EK Flight Path dervied from Lat and Long FDR Parameters". Bureau Enquetes-Accidents. Aviation Safety Network.
  52. "Sheik Hamad bin Isa Khalifa". CBS News. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  53. "Airbus A320 A4O-EK accident record". Aviation Safety Network. 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.
  54. "Accident to Airbus A320 Aircraft A9C-AG of M/S Gulf Air at Cochin International Airport on 29th August 2011" (PDF). Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  55. Hradecky, Simon (29 August 2011). "Accident: Gulf Air A320 at Kochi on Aug 29th 2011, runway excursion". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 4 June 2016.

Bibliography

Media related to Gulf Air at Wikimedia Commons

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