Gulf Air, Bahrain's national carrier, will secure 45 new planes - 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 29 Airbus A320neo aircraft -- under  restructured orders estimated to be worth a total of around $7.6 billion.

The 787-9s are scheduled to be delivered from the second quarter of 2018 and will replace 16 Boeing 787-8s which had been ordered previously, according to the statement which did not give details about the previous order. The restructured order is worth $4.2 billion.

The Airbus order includes 17 A321neo and 12 A320neo of which 10 A320neo have been confirmed in 2012. The order is worth a combined $3.4 billion, a Reuters report said.

The Airbus contract was signed today at the Bahrain International Airshow between Maher Salman Al Musallam, acting chief executive officer, Gulf Air, and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president and chief executive officer, in the presence of Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Bahrain and Matthias Fekl, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad.

Gulf Air currently operates 28 Airbus aircraft and the new aircraft will fit seamlessly into the airline’s current fleet, thanks to Airbus’ overall fleet commonality, its low operating costs, optimum fuel efficiency and best-in-class passenger comfort of any single aisle aircraft.

Al Musallam, said: “I am delighted that we will enhance and simplify our fleet structure building on Airbus aircraft. This restructured order meets Gulf Air’s future fleet requirement and our network expansion plans. As a result, I now look forward to furthering Gulf Air’s fleet modernization process while supporting our network and overall passenger experience enhancement strategies.”

“We are pleased that Gulf Air has chosen the A320neo Family to complement its long-term growth strategy. The fuel efficient aircraft will provide the airline with a higher operational efficiency and profitability while its wider cabins will open a new dimension of passenger appeal,” said Brégier.

The A320neo Family incorporates latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices, which together deliver more than 15 percent in fuel savings from day one and 20 percent by 2020 with further cabin innovations.

With nearly 4,500 orders received from some 80 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured a 60 percent share of the market, a statement said. -TradeArabia News Service