Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, has announced that it will start services to its fifth destination in Pakistan – Sialkot, from January 17, with two flights per week.

Operations to Sialkot International Airport, located around 125km north of Lahore, will provide Gulf Air’s customers, travelling to the Export Triangle of Pakistan – the area encompassing Gujarat, Sialkot and Gujranwala where approximately 60 per cent of Pakistan's SME's are located, with an alternative travel proposition.

“Pakistan is a key longstanding market for Gulf Air and is one of our most successful destinations,” said Ahmed Janahi, Gulf Air’s acting chief commercial officer.

“The recent 30 per cent frequency increase in our flights to Pakistan, spread across our network in the country - Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar - has been positively received by our passengers, as reflected by strong bookings. Therefore, the decision was taken to further strengthen our operations to the country by the addition of a fifth destination – Sialkot.”

Gulf Air will operate flights to Sialkot on Tuesdays and Fridays with an Airbus A320 aircraft that offers 16 Falcon Gold class seats and 120 in economy.

“The airline remains committed to proactively leveraging opportunities to strengthen its network through identifying niche opportunities,” Janahi said. – TradeArabia News Service