Bahrain national carrier Gulf Air today announced the graduation of 14 Bahraini senior first officers who successfully earned their fourth stripe after qualifying to become Gulf Air captains.

Captain Mohamed Yagoob Yagoobi, Captain Omar Fuad AlBinfalah, Captain Abdulrazaq Hasan Ali Yusuf, Captain Saqer Bader Sultan Al Hammadi, Captain Mahdi Mahmood Abbas Farhadi, Captain Ahmed Yousif Ismaeel, Captain Muath Ishaq AlKooheji, Captain Ebrahim Abduljalil AlKooheji, Captain Hadi AlSarraf, Captain Ali Naji, Captain Khaled Mohamed Almoawda, Captain Abdulla Sameer AlKhan, Captain Yusuf AlBanna and Captain Ali Mohammed Najaf accumulated the required flying hours, completed the necessary training and went on to pass extensive and rigorous checks, successfully earning their Captain ranking.

Celebrating their achievement in a dedicated ceremony held at Gulf Air’s Muharraq headquarters, Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi, Gulf Air deputy chief executive officer, said: “These gentlemen’s accomplishment today is a reflection of their hard work, exceptional skill and tireless determination. We, the Gulf Air family, are incredibly proud to see these Bahraini Captains graduate from our ranks and we look forward to their contributions in bringing Gulf Air even closer to achieving our goals.”

On behalf of his fellow graduates, Captain Al Hammadi said: “We received the best training available in the industry, which is proof of Gulf Air’s leading position in the international market, and the significance of its legacy as one of the best airlines in the region today.”

With 66 per cent of the airline’s pilots being Bahraini, Gulf Air leads the way amongst its regional competitors in terms of nationalisation, while still maintaining a multinational workforce that reflects the airline’s position as a global carrier.

Gulf Air is now preparing to receive a new fleet consisting of 39 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft, of which five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and two Airbus A320neos will enter Gulf Air’s fleet by end-2018. The modern fleet will herald a new era for Gulf Air and the coming months will see the airline’s network strategically expand to include eight new destinations: the Saudi Arabian cities of Abha and Tabuk; the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Sharm El Shaikh; the Indian cities of Bangalore and Calicut; Baku in Azerbaijan and Casablanca in Morocco. - TradeArabia News Service