Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air has signed a comprehensive training agreement with Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA), the Kingdom’s only approved aviation training provider in the region.

The deal marks a major milestone in the co-operation between the two subsidiaries of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, said a statement from Gulf Air.

Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali signed the agreement with GAA chief executive officer Tim Shattock at the airline's headquarters on Wednesday.

Under the agreement, GAA will provide a wide range of training services to Gulf Air personnel - pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, cabin crew, and ground staff on its facilities, said Majali.

'The agreement further cements our co-operation with GAA with whom we have a special relationship as we both are in the same industry and belong to the same parent company,' he remarked.

'GAA has very good facilities that cover most aspects of the airline operations, in addition to its Airbus simulators and soon-to-be-installed Embraer simulator.'

'This is an advantage for Gulf Air as we operate both Airbus and Embraer fleet and will be able to get our pilots and engineers trained right here in Bahrain at the comprehensive GAA campus,' he added.

Shattock said, “We are pleased to have entered into this landmark agreement with our national carrier, Gulf Air bringing us even closer in our business and co-operation.”

'GAA was born out of the need for an independent aviation training provider in the region spearheaded by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company.'

'Within a short span of time, GAA has won international recognition for its training standards and quality of service, having received highly-accredited approvals from the UK-CAA as well as the European Aviation Safety Agency. We are now able to offer world-class facilities for our customers,' Shattock added.-TradeArabia News Service