Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – 23 February 2022: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, announces the addition of four new boutique destinations to its global network with direct flights to two destinations in Italy, a new destination in France and in the United Kingdom:

·         Milan, 5 weekly flights starting 1 June 2022

·         Rome, 2 weekly flights starting 1 June 2022

·         Manchester, 2 weekly flights starting 1 June 2022

·         Nice, 2 weekly flights starting 2 June 2022

Flights to Milan, Rome and Nice will be served by airline’s new Airbus A321neo with two weekly flights to Rome and Nice  and five weekly flights to Milan, while Manchester will be served twice per week by the airline’s flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. In addition to the new destinations launching during the summer season, the airline will resume its operations to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain, Sharm Al Shaikh and Alexandria in Egypt, and Salalah in Oman.

On the occasion of the announcement, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “The new routes to our network is a testimony of the continuous expansion of Gulf Air’s network by adding Milan, Rome, Manchester and Nice. These new destinations have been on our horizon and as travel bounces back to normalcy, we knew it was the right time to launch our new routes for our passengers. Our network keeps adding popular boutique destinations that are favourite to many tourists and families in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the region especially as demand for travel grows in a healthy accelerated way towards the summer holidays.”

In 2019 and in line with its strategy to become the customer’s airline of choice, Gulf Air announced its boutique business model concept which would reinforce its focus on product and customer experience and continues to showcase the implementation of its strategy successfully. Gulf Air differentiates itself as a boutique airline giving it a competitive advantage with its fleet modernization strategy, new Falcon Gold class offering, upgraded economy class experience, new destinations and its presence in the new terminal at Bahrain International Airport.

Gulf Air currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Tel Aviv, Larnaca, Baku, Tbilisi, Moscow, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Athens, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan.

Gulf Air has recently received APEX’s Five Star Major Official Airline Rating; an award based solely on certified passengers’ feedback. In addition, Gulf Air has also received the Skytrax Five Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating after a vigorous audit by Skytrax Research that took place between November and December 2021. The rating comes as a testament to the success of Gulf Air’s operations in flying safely throughout the pandemic and enhancing its airport and on-board protocols to combat the spread of COVID-19. The airline receives this recognition by providing the highest standards to customers and staff whilst maintaining its boutique strategy to deliver its renowned Arabian hospitality.