Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, and Tamkeen have signed a joint cooperation agreement aimed at enhancing opportunities for the training and employment of Bahrainis within the kingdom’s aviation sector.

The agreement is tailored to Gulf Air’s requirements and brings a value-added, unmatched training experience to the airline’s aviation professionals.  

The joint cooperation agreement was signed by Gulf Air chief executive officer Krešimir Kučko and Tamkeen chief executive officer Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Janahi. The signing ceremony took place at the airline’s Muharraq headquarters in the presence of Gulf Air Deputy chief executive officer Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi, Gulf Air chief operations officer Captain Suhail Abdulhameed Abdulaziz Ismaeel and Gulf Air director human resources Nouf AlSowaidi.

Kučko praised the role played by Tamkeen, saying: “Gulf Air is one of Bahrain’s leading organisations affording attractive and promising employment opportunities to Bahrainis and actively supporting the national workforce’s development process. As the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, one of Gulf Air’s long-term goals is to help enhance the aviation skills and experience of Bahrainis. Tamkeen is a strategic partner in many important national development projects in the Kingdom and has a long history of supporting Gulf Air’s many training and employment programs. Accordingly, we are pleased to collaborate with Tamkeen yet again to support the strengthening of the Kingdom’s people development and further affirm our commitment to developing a national workforce of aviation professionals.”

Captain Al Alawi said: “One of Gulf Air’s goals is to increase nationalisation of our staff, thereby building a skilled Bahraini aviation workforce. This latest agreement underscores the continuous role Tamkeen plays in supporting the success and development of the Kingdom’s national carrier. This program is established at an opportune time following the recent announcement of Gulf Airs’ strategic growth plans. Eight new destinations will be added to our network in 2018. Gulf Air will be welcoming 39 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft into our fleet, of which five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and two Airbus A320neo aircraft will enter into service before the end of the year.”

Bahrain’s aviation sector is developing and expanding in line with the kingdom's development aspirations. This is also reflected in Gulf Air’s expansion plans and the positive developments seen industry wide. Alongside this, key indicators such as Bahrain International Airport’s modernisation programme are promising in their contribution to positioning Bahrain as a key air transport hub globally with a world-class standard aviation infrastructure. A home-grown Bahraini workforce of aviation professionals is critical to realising the sector’s fullest potential across the kingdom and region.

In 2010 Gulf Air became the first airline in the GCC to launch a joint-initiative with Tamkeen to encourage more Bahrainis to join the national carrier in key customer-facing positions such as flight crew. Gulf Air’s Bahrainisation level currently leads the way amongst regional airlines in terms of nationalisation. The airline continues to actively work to develop the skills of young Bahraini aviation professionals in the kingdom further reinforcing its commitment to the local community. - TradeArabia News Service