Gulf Air flies high
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom, yesterday received its seventh Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at Bahrain International Airport in its special 70th anniversary livery, which showcased the airline’s iconic vintage design from the last century with a revamped look.
A number of VIP guests from the aviation industry and members of the media joined Gulf Air’s executive management at the welcoming event and viewed the new aircraft with its redesigned vintage version of the Golden Falcon Lockheed TriStar livery, representing Gulf Air’s iconic design from the 1970s.
With the arrival of this special aircraft, Gulf Air has revealed its 70th anniversary logo, which will be used in the airline’s marketing and promotional campaigns in 2020. The new Dreamliner will join the Gulf Air fleet on its first commercial flight today from Bahrain International Airport to London Heathrow at 10:15 am local time. This will increase the total number of Dreamliners operated by the airline to seven aircraft which will be followed by the delivery of three more by end of 2020, the airlines said in a statement issued yesterday.
In 2018, Gulf Air launched its new brand identity at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and introduced its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner along with a series of new destinations. The air - line also launched a new boutique strategy in early 2019. As Gulf Air moves forward with its strategy, the airline pays tribute to the past with a revamped livery signalling a new era, the statement added. Speaking to Tribune, Zayed Al Zayani, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, said it was a great day for Gulf Air.
“Marking 70 years is a huge achievement. We are the oldest airlines in the region and we need to continue growing. “We have laid out a five-year strategic plan with new destinations and more flights. We will be starting flights to Maldives next week. “By adding long-range Boeings and medium-range Air Buses, we will continue to spread the wings and carry the flag of Bahrain across the world.” Krešimir Kucko, Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer, told Tribune that one of the major corporate goals of the company is to make a global footprint relatively with smaller fleet.
He said Gulf Air is open to strategic alliances with other airliners across the globe. “Last year, we made agreements with many airlines including KLM. “During the course of this year and next year, we plan to forge commercial co-operation with many other airlines. We also plan to extend our agreement with Etihad. “Next year, we will get three more Dreamliners and we will be working out on expanding our destinations, both towards the East and West.”
Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, who flew the flight from Boeing field in Everett, Seattle to Bahrain, said it was a proud moment for all Bahrainis and Gulf Air staff. “We flew all the way north over Greenland, Iceland and Northern Europe. The aircraft has old colours Gulf Air used to have in its golden days. We are going back to the golden days.”
The new logo launched by the airline.
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