Gulf Air 377403 223939518 2008-07-06T16:41:35Z Daxterooney5 7397814 /* Codeshare agreements */ {{Infobox Airline |airline = Gulf Air<BR><small>طيران الخليج</small> |image = Gulf Air logo.png |image_size = 200 |IATA = GF |ICAO = GFA |callsign = GULF AIR |founded = 1950 |commenced = |ceased = |hubs = [[Bahrain International Airport]] |secondary_hubs = |focus_cities = |frequent_flyer = Gulf Air Frequent Flyer Programme |lounge = First and Business Class Lounge (no member lounges) |alliance = |subsidiaries = |fleet_size = 27 (+51 orders, 8 options) |destinations = 41 |parent = |company_slogan = |headquarters = [[Manama]], [[Bahrain]] |key_people = Talal Al-Zain , Chairman |website = http://www.gulfair.com }} '''Gulf Air''' ({{lang-ar|طيران الخليج}}) is the [[flag carrier]] of the Kingdom of [[Bahrain]]. The [[airline]] operates scheduled services to over 40 destinations in [[Africa]], [[Asia]], [[Europe]], [[Middle East]] and [[Far East]]. Its main base is [[Bahrain International Airport]].<ref name="FI">[[Flight International]] 3 April 2007</ref> The company's logo features a golden [[falcon]]. The airline is not part of an airline alliance but is part of the [[Oneworld|'''one'''world]] global explorer fare. It has extensive codeshare services with other airlines and special partnerships with [[Jet Airways]] and [[Oman Air]]'s Frequent Flyer Programmes. == History == {{Fact|date=June 2007}} In the late 1940s, Freddie Bosworth (a British pilot) began an air taxi service to [[Doha]] and [[Dhahran]] from Bahrain. Bosworth later expanded this service and on the [[24 March]] [[1950]], he registered '''Gulf Aviation''' as a private share-holding company. Seven [[Avro Anson]]s and 3 [[De Havilland Express|De Havilland DH.86B]] 4-engine biplanes formed the fleet, but more modern aircraft were needed. Bosworth chose the [[De Havilland Dove]] but while preparing to introduce the type into service he was killed on a demonstration flight at [[Croydon]] on [[9 June]] [[1951]]. In October 1951 [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] (BOAC) became a major shareholder in Gulf Aviation, holding a 22% stake.<ref name="FI"/> Gulf Aviation began services to [[London]] in April 1970 with a [[Vickers VC10]] and, with the introduction of BOAC, saw a succession of updated aircraft entering the fleet. [[Image:VC-10 Gulf Air Heathrow - 1977.jpg|thumb|left|[[Vickers VC-10|VC-10]] at [[London Heathrow Airport]] in 1977]] The turning point for Gulf Aviation came in 1973 when the governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain, State of [[Qatar]], the Emirate of [[Abu Dhabi]] and the Sultanate of [[Oman]] purchased BOAC's shares in Gulf Aviation. The Foundation Treaty signed on [[1 January]] [[1974]] gave each government a 25% shareholding in the re-branded Gulf Air, which became the national carrier for the four states in the Persian Gulf. Later that year, the airline's support of oil exploration resulted in the establishment of the wholly owned Gulf Helicopters subsidiary.<ref name="FI"/> With leased [[Lockheed L-1011|Lockheed L-1011 Tristar]] and [[Boeing 737]]s joining the fleet, by 1976 Gulf Air had expanded its route network to include: [[Amman]], [[Amsterdam]], [[Athens]], [[Baghdad]], [[Bangkok]], [[Beirut]], [[Cairo]], [[Colombo]], [[Delhi]], [[Dhaka]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Jeddah]], [[Khartoum]], [[Larnaca]], [[Manila]], [[Paris]], [[Ras al-Khaimah]] and [[San‘a’]]. The fleet comprised 4 Vickers VC10s, 3 [[BAC One-Eleven]]s, 2 [[Lockheed L-1011|Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 200]]s, and 5 [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]]s. Two years later the Tristar fleet had doubled, replacing the VC10s, and the Boeing 737s had increased to 9, resulting in the phasing out of the One-Elevens. The 1980s saw an increase in air travel and growth for Gulf Air. In 1981 Gulf Air became an [[IATA]] member and in the following year became the first international airline to land at [[Riyadh]]. In 1988 the [[Boeing 767]]s joined the fleet and services to [[Frankfurt]], [[Istanbul]], [[Damascus]], [[Dar es Salaam]], [[Fujairah]] and [[Nairobi]] were launched, with services to [[Shiraz]] and Baghdad resumed. Gulf Air celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1990 . The light blue and peach [[Balenciaga]]-designed uniform was introduced. [[Singapore]], [[Sydney]] and [[Thiruvananthapuram|Trivandrum]] were launched and Gulf Air became the first Arab airline to fly to [[Australia]]. Gulf Air added [[Johannesburg]] and [[Melbourne]] to its network (1992), becoming the first Arab airline to fly directly to these cities. The following year it opened up a Flight Simulator Centre in Qatar. The same year saw the introduction of services to [[Casablanca]], [[Entebbe]], [[Jakarta]], [[Kilimanjaro]], [[Madras]], [[Rome]], San'a', [[Zanzibar]], and [[Zürich]]. In May 1994, Gulf Air received its first [[Airbus A340|Airbus A340-300]]. Gulf Air introduced a no-smoking policy on flights to [[Singapore]] and [[Australia]] in 1998 which later extended throughout its whole network. In 1999 , Gulf Air also launched three new routes in North [[Pakistan]]: [[Islamabad]], [[Lahore]], and [[Peshawar]]. It also took delivery of two (out of six) [[Airbus A330|Airbus A330-200]] aircraft and a new Balmain uniform was introduced. === 21st century === {{Fact|date=June 2007}} In 2000 the airline celebrated its 50th anniversary. It took delivery of the remaining Airbus A330-200 aircraft in June of that year, and launched services to [[Milan]]. In May 2002 James Hogan became President and CEO of Gulf Air and instigated a three year restructuring and turnaround programme, which was launched in response to a drastic fall in profits at the company and ever-increasing debt. The Gulf Air Board unanimously approved the three-year recovery plan at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on [[18 December]]. This month also saw the withdrawal of the State of [[Qatar]] from Gulf Air. In 2003 Gulf Air introduced a new [[Landor Associates]] designed livery. [[June 1]] [[2003]] saw the establishment of [[Gulf Traveller]], a subsidiary all-economy full-service airline. Gulf Air also announced a sponsorship deal for the [[Bahrain Grand Prix]] which will last until 2010 . This deal created the Gulfair Bahrain Grand Prix, of which the first was staged in 2004 . Gulf Air also introduced direct daily flights to [[Athens]] and [[Sydney]], via [[Singapore]], on [[23 November]] [[2003]]. In 2004, Gulf Air introduced direct flights between [[Dubai]] and London and [[Muscat]] and London, and a daily service between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah and carried a record 7.5 million passengers during this year. Gulf Air's sponsorship of the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix continued, with a record race crowd and a global TV audience. [[Image:gulfair.a340-300.a40-lj.arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Airbus A340-300]] takes off. The [[undercarriage]] is retracting]] A return to profit was announced, with the best financial performance since 1997 . Despite a BD30 million ([[US$]]80 million) cost to the business through fuel price rises during the year, Gulf Air recorded a profit of BD1.5 million (US$4.0 million) in the calendar year to December 2004, on revenues up 23.8% to BD476.3 million (US$1.26 billion) (2003: BD 384.6 million / USD1,020.2 million). The results meant the airline out-performed the targets set under Project Falcon, the three-year restructuring plan approved by the Board in December 2002. The owner states of Gulf Air at that time - the Kingdom of [[Bahrain]], the Emirate of [[Abu Dhabi]] and the [[Sultanate of Oman]] - confirmed their support for further expansion of the airline, through a new three-year strategic plan which would include re-equipment of the aircraft fleet and recapitalisation of the business through private sector financing. Gulf Air was also placed on the IOSA registry following its successful completion of the [[International Air Transport Association|IATA]] Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). The new summer schedule commencing [[28 April]] [[2006]] saw the complete withdrawal of [[Abu Dhabi]] as a hub following the decision on the [[13 September]] [[2005]], by the Emirate of [[Abu Dhabi]], to withdraw from Gulf Air and establish its own airline, [[Etihad Airways]]. Gulf Air changed its operations to a dual hub basis between Bahrain and Muscat airports. The airline produced a series of adverts in local newspapers thanking Abu Dhabi for its contribution to Gulf Air. Due to the airline being the national carrier for the United Arab Emirates for over 35 years, it has a large customer base located in Abu Dhabi. Gulf Air endeavoured to show the continuing support for flights to Abu Dhabi from Bahrain and Muscat, connecting to the rest of the Gulf Air network, via adverts placed in local newspapers. Gulf Air has an aircraft simulator facility at its Bahrain Headquarters. The BD3.5 million facility will offer real-time, simulated on-board training to pilots on Boeing 767, [[Airbus A320 family]] aircraft and A330/340 in three flight simulators. On the [[27 April]] [[2006]], the Governments of Bahrain and [[Thailand]] signed an '[[Open Skies]]' agreement which allowed an unlimited and unrestricted number of flights between the two nations. Gulf Air operates daily flights to Bangkok from Bahrain, with four flights a week from Muscat. With this new agreement in place, Gulf Air will double its frequency to Thailand by July 2006, with 14 flights a week between Bahrain and Thailand. James Hogan resigned his position as President and Chief Executive Officer (PCE) as of [[October 1]], [[2006]], and has since taken the position of CEO at rival airline Etihad Airways. Ahmed Al Hammadi was named acting CEO until Swiss national André Dosé (former CEO of [[Crossair]] and [[Swiss International Air Lines]]) took on [[April 1]] [[2007]]. A few days later, he announced a BD310 million (USD825 million) restructuring plan which included: all flights originate from or arrive at Bahrain; routes to [[Johannesburg]], [[Dublin]], [[Jakarta]], [[Singapore]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Sydney]] cancelled; withdrawal of the nine Boeing 767 from the fleet; phased withdrawal of the Airbus A340-300 from the fleet; introduction of the [[Airbus A321]] in July 2007 and of the [[Airbus A330|Airbus A330-300]] in 2009 and layoffs that will not differentiate between employees' nationalities but will be solely performance-based. This led to some employees applying for jobs in other airlines, and in less than a month Gulf Air lost 500 persons from its workforce. This rapid decline of personnel required a senior official to state that "Gulf Air will not be sacking any staff under its recovery plan, but it will be weeding out those who don't do their jobs". The airline is aiming at cutting its workforce by 25 percent through people leaving naturally or accepting voluntary early retirement packages, and the company has a recruitment freeze. [[Image:gulfair.a330-200.a40-kc.arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Airbus A330-200]]]] On [[6 May]] [[2007]], the government of Bahrain claimed 100% ownership of the airline as joint-owner Oman withdrew from the airline. André Dosé resigned on [[23 July]] [[2007]] and was replaced by CEO Bjorn Naf and COO Christopher Cain. On [[6 November]] [[2007]], Gulf Air announced the third daily non-stop flight to [[London Heathrow Airport]] from Bahrain. On the same day, Gulf Air became 100% Bahrain-owned. The airline is scheduled to inaugurate services to [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport]] on June 16, 2008 and [[Hyderabad International Airport]] on July 1, 2008 and has placed orders with Boeing (for 16 B787s) and Airbus (for 15 A320s and 20 A330s) to upgrade its fleet. The last commercial B767 flight was on May 29, 2008 and the aircraft was flown to Dublin on May 30, 2008. On [[3 July]] [[2008]], Gulf Air was announced as the official sponsor of upcoming English [[association football|football]] club, [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]]. ==Destinations== {{main|Gulf Air destinations}} == Fleet == The Gulf Air fleet consists of the following aircraft as of May 2008: <center> {| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse" |+ '''Gulf Air Fleet''' |- bgcolor=white !Aircraft !Total !Passengers <br> <small>(First/Business/Economy)</small> !Routes !Notes |- |[[Airbus A321]] |2 |185 | |Leased from Royal Jordanian Airways |- |[[Airbus A320-200]] |10 <br> (15 orders) |136 (-/16/120) | | |- |[[Airbus A330-200]] |6 |215 (8/24/183) | | |- |[[Airbus A330-300]] |(20 orders) | | | |- |[[Airbus A340-300]] |9 |293 (12/24/257) | | |- |[[Boeing 737-800]] |2 | | |Leased from [[XL Airways Germany]] |- |[[Boeing 787-8]] |(16 orders) <br> (8 options) | | |Entry into service: 2016 |} </center> On [[21 January]] [[2008]], Gulf Air finalized a deal with Boeing for 16 [[Boeing 787]]s with a further 8 purchase rights.<ref>[http://www.gulfair.com/press/newsEnglish.asp?displaynews=true&NewsLanguage=English&newsid=846]</ref> On [[28 May]] [[2008]], Gulf Air placed a firm order with Airbus for 35 jetliners worth $5.17 billion at list price. The order is for 15 single-aisle A320-series planes and 20 A330-300 widebodies. <ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/28/business/EU-FIN-COM-Germany-Airbus-Gulf-Air.php]</ref> The average age of the Gulf Air fleet was 12.1 years as at May 2008.<ref>[http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Gulf%20Air.htm Gulf Air Fleet age]</ref> ==Frequent Flyer Programme== {{Fact|date=June 2007}} In 2003, Gulf Air launched the Gulf Air Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP), replacing the Falcon Frequent Flyer programme. The frequent flyer programme also won four awards at the 17th Annual Freddie Awards. These awards are decided by frequent travellers. :*1st Place - Best Award Redemption, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa :*1st Place - Best Customer Service, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa :*1st Place - Best Award, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa :*1st Place - Best Website, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa Gulf Air offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines: * [[Cathay Pacific]] * [[Jet Airways]] * [[Oman Air]] * [[Virgin Atlantic Airways]] Gulf Air also offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following car rental agencies: * [[Dollar Rent A Car]] * [[Hertz]] * [[Sixt|Sixt Rent A Car]] * [[Thrifty Car Rental]] ===Program levels=== Gulf Air FFP members are entitled to the following benefits listed below. These benefits do not apply to Family Members. * Blue Card ** 10 kg Extra Baggage Allowance ** Personal Baggage Tags * Silver Card ** Check-In at Premium Desks ** Lounge Access ** 15 kg Extra Baggage Allowance ** Priority Baggage Handling * Gold Card ** Check-In at Premium Desks ** Lounge Access + 1 Guest ** 20 kg Extra Baggage Allowance ** Priority Baggage Handling ==Codeshare agreements== {| |- valign="top"| | *[[American Airlines]] *[[BMI (airline)|Bmi]] *[[Cyprus Airways]] *[[Egypt Air]] *[[Ethiopian Airlines]] *[[Garuda Indonesia]] *[[KLM Royal Dutch Airlines]] *[[Malaysia Airlines]] | *[[Middle East Airlines]] *[[Olympic Airlines]] *[[Oman Air]] *[[Philippine Airlines]] *[[Qantas]] *[[Royal Jordanian]] *[[Saudi Arabian Airlines]] *[[Thai Airways]] |} ==Subsidiaries== * [http://www.gfcargo.com Gulf Air Cargo] ===Gulf Traveller=== The company's all Economy class airline [[Gulf Traveller]] ceased operations in April 2007. The airline's operations became unprofitable following the pull out of Abu Dhabi followed by Oman, the restructuring of Gulf Air, and the phasing out of its 767 fleet as well as some other types. ==Partners== * [http://hotels.gulfair.com Gulf Air Hotels] * [http://cars.gulfair.com Gulf Air Cars] ==Sponsored events== Gulf Air sponsors events, of which the most prestigious is the Gulfair [[Bahrain Grand Prix]]. This is usually the third race of the Formula One season and is held in March or April of each year. ==Livery== Before 2003 the livery was predominantly white with a small golden falcon at the tail on a background of red, green and maroon stripes which represented the original four owner states of the Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Since 2003 the livery has been fully gold at the front with white at the rear and a large redesigned falcon at the tail. In April 2008 Gulf Air announced that it has brought in UK-based design consultancy James Park Associates to redesign all aircraft interiors, its logo, uniforms and passenger lounges, as well as make changes to in-flight entertainment systems. <ref>[http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRheft/FRH0306/FR0306g.htm FLUG REVUE June 2003: Gulf Air reshapes its image<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Fleet refurbishment=== Gulf is buying Boeing 787s and Airbus 320s and 330s to replace its aircraft. ===A330 Interior refurbishment=== {{Fact|date=June 2007}} The A330 aircraft refurbishment was completed in June 2005. All A330 aircraft now have the Gulf Air Sky Beds in First and Business Class Cabins. :*The First Class cabin seating configuration is 1-2-1 and accommodates 8 passengers. It has an 80-inch pitch and 25-inch width bed with 180-degree recline. The Class 180 seat also converts to a full size bed. Individual screen size: 15-inch. :*The Business Class cabin seating configuration is 2-2-2 and accommodates 24 passengers. It has an 63-inch pitch and 24-inch width bed with 163-degree recline. Individual screen size: 10.4-inch. :*The Economy Class cabin seating configuration is 2-4-2 and accommodates 183 passengers. It has a 32-34-inch pitch and 18-inch seat width with 102-degree recline. Individual screen size: 6.5-inch. ===A340 Interior refurbishment=== {{Fact|date=June 2007}} The refurbishment of part of the A340 fleet was completed in August 2006. The A340-312 (Version A) aircraft still have not been refurbished although all A340-300 aircraft now have the Gulf Air Sky Beds in First and Business Class Cabins. A340-300 Details (Version B) :*The First Class cabin seating configuration is 1-2-1 and accommodates 8 passengers. It has an 80-inch pitch and 25-inch width bed with 180-degree recline. The Class 180 seat also converts to a full size bed. Individual screen size: 15-inch. :*The Business Class cabin seating configuration is 2-2-2 and accommodates 24 passengers. It has an 73-inch pitch and 24-inch width bed with 169-degree recline. Individual screen size: 10.4-inch. :*The Economy Class cabin seating configuration is 2-4-2 and accommodates 217 passengers. It has a 32-34-inch pitch and 18-inch seat width with 102-degree recline. Individual screen size: 6.5-inch. ==Incidents and accidents== '''23 September 1983''' <ref>[http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/planes/l1011.html PBS - Chasing the Sun - Lockheed L1011<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> {{main|Gulf Air Flight 771}} :*Location: Near Mina Jebel Ali, UAE :*Flight #: GF771 :*Route: Karachi - Abu Dhabi :*Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-2P6 :*Registration: A40-BK :*Aboard: 112 (passengers:107 crew:5) :*Fatalities: 112 (passengers:107 crew:5) :*Summary: The aircraft crashed into the desert after a distress message and during an emergency landing attempt. This was due to the detonation of an explosive device in the baggage compartment. '''23 August 2000''' <ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000823-0&lang=en Airbus A320 A4O-EK accident record - Aviation Safety Network]</ref> {{main|Gulf Air Flight 072}} :*Location: Coast of Manama, Bahrain :*Flight #: GF072 :*Route: Cairo - Bahrain :*Aircraft Type: Airbus A320-212 :*Registration: A4O-EK :*Aboard: 143 (passengers:135 crew:8) :*Fatalities: 143 (passengers:135 crew:8) :*Summary: The aircraft crashed into the Persian Gulf while attempting to land at Bahrain International Airport. The crew decided to perform a missed approach after it was determined the aircraft was coming in too high and fast. Instructions were given for a 180 degree turn and climb to 2,500 feet. While performing the missed approach the plane suddenly descended rapidly from an altitude of 1,000 feet and crashed into the shallow waters of the gulf approximately 1 mile from the airport. ==References== {{refbegin}} *[http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story...ticle=173072&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29362 Gulf Daily News] *[http://www.tradearabia.com/news/newsdetails.asp?Sn=TTN&artid=123438 Trade Arabia] *[http://www.aaknews.com/Articles.asp?Article=183231&Sn=BNEW AAK News] (in Arabic) *[http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=181744&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30052 Gulf Daily News] *[http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=181746&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30052 Gulf Daily News] *[http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=183778&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30073 Gulf Daily News] {{refend}} {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commons|Gulf Air}} *[http://www.gulfair.com/ Gulf Air official website] *[http://www.gulfairtravelupdate.com/ Gulf Air travel update] *[http://www.gulf-life.com/ Gulf Life inflight magazine] {{IATA members|mideast}} {{Arab Air Carriers Organization}} [[Category:Airlines of Bahrain]] [[Category:IATA members]] [[Category:Arab Air Carriers Organization members]] [[Category:Airlines established in 1974]] [[Category:Government-owned airlines]] [[ar:طيران الخليج]] [[de:Gulf Air]] [[es:Gulf Air]] [[fr:Gulf Air]] [[id:Gulf Air]] [[it:Gulf Air]] [[he:גאלף אייר]] [[nl:Gulf Air]] [[ja:ガルフ・エア]] [[pl:Gulf Air]] [[pt:Gulf Air]] [[fi:Gulf Air]] [[sv:Gulf Air]] [[th:กัลฟ์แอร์]] [[tr:Gulf Air]]