Bahraini national carrier Gulf Air is set to take delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the latest addition to its expanded fleet, by the end of this month, said a top official as the airline unveiled the first look at its new branding.

 

The new, incoming aircraft represents the beginning of an important chapter for the kingdom’s national carrier as it begins to strategically expand its network and destinations, and modernise its fleet, remarked Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and Chairman of Gulf Air’s Board of Directors.

 

He was addressing the media following HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister's tour of Gulf Air’s newest aircraft yesterday. 

 

Alzayani, highlighting HRH’s central role in the continuous development of the national carrier, said: "Gulf Air is looking to provide a unique experience for passengers on its new, incoming fleet across both its business and economy class cabins, as the airline prepares for the upcoming entry of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to its fleet."

 

"In line with Bahrain’s Vision 2030, Gulf Air’s mission is to connect and establish Bahrain as a gateway to the world while continually enhancing the passenger experience across every touchpoint and developing the human capital resources that exist within the Kingdom’s national carrier. Going forward, every kind of traveller will be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art, modern, relaxing and memorable experience as Gulf Air’s new fleet will be outfitted with superior seats, Inflight Entertainment and much more, elevating the premium passenger and economy class experiences," noted Alzayani.

 

Gulf Air’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will be delivered on April 27 and will ultimately serve Gulf Air’s double daily London Heathrow service, offering increased capacity and enhanced, superior on-board products and services, starting from June 15.

 

As part of Gulf Air's efforts to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services, the carrier will be operating two kinds of new fleets - Boeing787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A320neo aircraft. 

 

Gulf Air’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners will offer 282 seats in a two-class configuration, with 26 Falcon Gold Class seats and 256 Economy Class seats. 

 

The industry-leading technology of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner boasts superior fuel efficiency, environmentally friendly operations and range flexibility that will facilitate Gulf Air’s planned network expansion and fleet optimization at a lower operating cost, said the national carrier in its statement. 

 

Passengers will enjoy many improvements with the 787 family such as the largest windows of any jet, air that is cleaner, more humid and at a higher pressure for greater comfort, large overhead bins with room for more baggage, soothing LED lighting and technology that senses and counters turbulence for a smoother ride, it stated. 

 

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is an all-new, super-efficient family of commercial airplanes that brings big-jet ranges and speed to the middle of the market with 20 to 25 per cent less fuel and 20 to 25 per cent fewer emissions than the airplanes they replace, it added.

 

In February this year, Gulf Air unveiled a new corporate strategy, 2018 network expansion plans to eight new routes, details surrounding its incoming fleet, new, best in class products and services and its new overall direction. 

 

The new fleet will facilitate Gulf Air’s expansion plans which will see it in 2018 grow to serve 50 cities. 

 

This summer, Gulf Air will begin launching flights to its newest destinations which include Bangalore from May 1 to Alexandria, Egypt from June 10, Casablanca in Morocco from June 11, Baku in Azerbaijan from June 12, Abha and Tabuk in Saudi Arabia from June 15, Calicut, India from June 15 and Sharm El Shaikh, Egypt from June 16.-TradeArabia News Service