Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air is set to launch services to two new destinations - Qassim and Taif, taking the total number of Saudi Arabian cities serviced by the airline to six.

The flights to Qassim and Taif will begin from January 10 next year with four flights per week to each city, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

“Bahrain's relationship with Saudi Arabia is a long-standing one and the national carrier's ties to our neighbour date back to our maiden service to Dhahran in 1950,” Gulf Air acting chief executive Maher Al Musallam said.

“It is an important market for us and the launch of services to Qassim and Taif, supplementing our Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina operations, further demonstrates our commitment to connecting people to various destinations across Gulf Air's network.”

Taif, a city in Makkah Province of Saudi Arabia on the slopes of Sarawat Mountains is Saudi Arabia's unofficial summer capital. The four weekly flights to the city will be on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Located in the heart of Saudi Arabia, Qassim is famed for its agricultural produce.

The four weekly flights to the city will be on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

All the flights will be operated by A320 aircraft. - TradeArabia News Service