Ink Publishing wins contract to publish Gulf Air's inflight magazines

Gulf Life will be the airline's new inflight magazine and On Air will be a separate and dedicated 60-page inflight entertainment magazine.

With contents produced in English and Arabic, the first issues of the monthly publications will be onboard from 1 May, 2007.

With Gulf Air as the newest member of its expanding clientele worldwide, Ink's burgeoning portfolio now includes 25 inflight magazines produced in 12 languages.

Gulf Air has evolved over the past 55 years from a regional commuter service to a world-class international carrier, serving 47 destinations worldwide.

"We have chosen Ink Publishing because of their broad range of international experience in the publishing business as well as their proven track record of creating outstanding titles, especially for the travel and tourism sectors," says Gulf Air Vice President Marketing and Sales, Lee Shave.

"We're confident Ink will create magazines that reflect our understanding of the passengers' interests and needs, and contribute towards an interesting and engaging inflight experience."

"As the airline with the largest network in the Middle East with excellent connections to international destinations on four continents, Gulf Air now flies over 7.5 million passengers a year. As every issue of each magazine will be read by over 600,000 savvy frequent travellers, Gulf Life and On Air will be the ideal media for companies who are interested in getting their message across to Gulf Air's exclusive target audience while they are travelling and in a receptive mindset. These are individuals interested in purchasing consumer and luxury products, seeking vacation homes abroad and finding new destinations to explore," says Anthony Jamil Azoury, Associate Publisher, Gulf Life and On Air."

"By making every effort to tailor the editorial content to the real interests of the Arab traveller, whether they are travelling for business or leisure, we will dramatically increase the average time Gulf Air passengers engage with the airline's inflight magazines. This captive audience will appreciate the quality of the titles and will be relaxed and interested in the wide-range of international brands that are advertising within these unique inflight publications," concludes Azoury.

"Gulf Life will be a strong, newsstand-style magazine with an independent outlook aimed at Gulf Air's modern and discerning passengers," adds Ink Publishing Group Editorial Director, Michael Keating.

"Featuring the best in food and drink, architecture and the arts, Gulf Life will also include an engaging mix of celebrity interviews, opinion and trend pieces. It will also be a showcase for Gulf Air's broad range of destinations, including feature articles and an extensive what-to-do and where-to-go listings sections. On Air will highlight Gulf Air's extensive inflight entertainment package backed up with film and entertainment news, interviews and reviews."

Andrew Humphreys has been appointed as editor of the magazines. Humphreys was previously at Time Out for six years, founded and edited the Cairo Times and has authored more than 20 travel guides for publishers including Lonely Planet and National Geographic. He is also a respected contributor to the Guardian, Condé Nast Traveller and the Observer.