Bahrain national carrier Gulf Air has been independently ranked by UK aviation analysts OAG as the third most punctual airline in 2017, amongst Middle East and African airlines, with an average on-time performance (OTP) of 80.22 per cent.

Gulf Air chief executive officer, Krešimir Kučko, said: “Punctuality is a critical element for travellers and we are delighted to be recognised yet again as a leading global player in OTP. Gulf Air is committed to delivering on its promise to get passengers to their destinations in a timely manner. We are gearing up to welcome our incoming fleet of 39 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft of which a total of five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and two Airbus A320Neos will have entered Gulf Air’s fleet by end-2018. With this development, passengers can soon enjoy not only Gulf Air’s punctuality and trademark Arabian hospitality, but also remarkable product and service enhancements alongside network growth.”

Gulf Air has held the top spot in recent years for OTP, ranking as the most punctual airline in 2016, amongst GCC airlines. Gulf Air also ranked first among major airlines from the Middle East and Africa for the fifth Annual Airline On-time Performance Service Awards in 2013. Gulf Air’s network currently serves 42 cities in 25 countries. The airline operates double daily flights or more to select destinations across the GCC, MENA region, Indian Subcontinent and Europe.

OAG leverages the world's largest network of air travel data to provide accurate, timely, actionable digital information and applications to the world’s airlines, airports, government agencies and travel-related service companies. OAG’s annual Punctuality League performance report is drawn from a database of approximately 57 million flight records for 2017 to create a ranking of the best on-time performance (OTP) for the world’s largest airlines and airports. OAG defines “on time” as within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of scheduled arrival/departure time. - TradeArabia News Service