Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, today (May 1) launched its new, state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the airline’s Jeddah route.

 Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will service a number of regional routes over the coming weeks including Jeddah and Dubai before it takes on the Bahrain - London, Heathrow route on June 15.

Gulf Air chief executive officer Krešimir Kučko said: “Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner service to and from Jeddah over the coming weeks will give our Saudi based travellers the chance to experience our new and enhanced offering, which is in addition to Gulf Air’s  attractive flight schedule, flexible and convenient travel proposition.

“The coming weeks will see us expanding further in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with new routes to the cities of Abha and Tabuk, from June 15 which will complement our current service to Dammam, Riyadh, Madina Al Munawarah, Jeddah and Gassim. Having served the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 1950 Gulf Air recognizes this is a critical market and accordingly we are delighted to provide superior travel solutions that cater to the travel needs of our Saudi passengers.”

Gulf Air’s incoming fleet of 39 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft will see by the arrival of five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and two Airbus A320neo aircraft this year. Two Dreamliner services will operate this year: the Bahrain - London, Heathrow service and the Bahrain – Casablanca, Morocco service.

Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners will offer 282 seats in a two-class configuration, with 26 Falcon Gold Class seats and 256 Economy Class seats – a 32 per cent increase in capacity on the airline’s previous wide body offering. The new aircraft will facilitate the national carrier’s expansion plans to 8 new routes this year, while maintaining one of the youngest fleets in the region, building upon its award-winning reliability, on time performance and product and service standards.

In 2018, Gulf Air’s network will serve 49 cities in 26 countries. The airline provides seamless connectivity for passengers travelling across its network via its efficient Bahrain International Airport hub. – TradeArabia News Service