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Saturday, December 5 - 2009

Gulf Air Iraq inaugural date confirmed

Bahrain's National carrier Gulf Air confirmed it will commence services to Baghdad on 1 September 2009.

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  • Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali.
    Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali.
The Airline also announced it will add two additional destinations in Iraq to its network, the holy city of Najaf and Erbil, in Northern Iraq, by the end of September 2009.

Flights to Iraq's capital Baghdad will go on sale from 6th August online at gulfair.com as well as via travel agencies and Gulf Air sales office.

Gulf Air will initially operate a five times weekly service to Baghdad using a A320 narrow body aircraft. The airline hopes to increase this to a daily service in the near future.

Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali said:
"I am delighted to announce the date of our inaugural service to Baghdad and unveil our plans to add two further cities in Iraq to our network by the end of September 2009. Gulf Air will become the first GCC airline to offer direct flights to Iraq, adding to its pioneering legacy. The inclusion of Iraq to our regional network makes absolute sense both geographically and economically. There is a clear demand for a direct service from Bahrain and we have also ensured that our Iraq service will complement our feeder services from Europe and in particular London, which will enable us to capture intercontinental traffic with passengers having less than two hour connections via our Bahrain hub."


Preparations are also well underway for Gulf Air to start flying to one of Iraq's largest cities, Erbil, and Najaf by the end of September.

Mr. Majali continued: "There are strong historic and trading links between Bahrain and Iraq and as the Kingdom's national carrier we wanted to take full advantage of the Air Service Agreement concluded last month between the two countries as quickly as we could. We are creating a connection that is essential for the economic re-development of Iraq and enables us to take full advantage of the rapid growth Iraq will witness as global business and cultural links into the country develop."
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Notes and media contacts

About Gulf Air
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, was founded in 1950 and is one of the oldest airlines in the Middle East. It is owned by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holdings Company.

Backed by more than half a century of experience, expertise and customer care, Gulf Air has established as a powerful brand and today, it is the carrier of choice for most people in the region. However, its goal has remained unchanged - the commitment to providing state-of-the-art flying experience, complemented by its traditional Arabian hospitality.

One of the prime objectives of the carrier is to connect Bahrain to the Middle East countries and the rest of the world. The airline offers customers the unique advantage of operating the largest network in the Middle East with non-stop flights while providing seamless onward connections to other destinations.

Gulf Air's current network stretches from Europe to Asia, connecting 42 cities in 27 countries, with a fleet of 39 aircraft. The airline has code-share agreement with 15 airlines across the world offering a wider choice of flights that can be booked directly with Gulf Air.

In alignment with the dynamic growth plans of the Kingdom as laid out in 'Vision 2030', Gulf Air has embarked on a business strategy to re-fleet itself over the next five years to further strengthen its presence as a leading player. The airline has placed an order to purchase 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and another order with Airbus to purchase 35 aircraft that includes A320s and A330s.

Gulf Air is the Official Airline and Sponsor of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2009 and London-based football club Queens Park Rangers.

For further information:
Ms. Katherine Kaczynska
Gulf Air, P.O. Box: 138. Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Phone: 00973 17338416
Mobile: 00973 39433991

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