Gulf Air hints it will announce major aircraft deal

Bahrain's Gulf Air has said that it will make a major announcement regarding aircraft deals at the country's international airshow which starts on Thursday.

Day one of the three-day Bahrain International Airshow 2016 will see a significant announcement, the national carrier said, without giving further details.

Gulf Air acting CEO, Maher Salman AlMusallam, said in a statement: "This three day event is a key business platform for international aviation companies and I am pleased to say that Gulf Air will have some very exciting aircraft announcements to make at BIAS 2016.”

In October Gulf Air said it was in final talks to place an order for up to 50 aircraft to meet the airline's needs over the next decade.

"We are looking at both narrow and wide-body aircraft for replacement of (the) current fleet... and for growth," Sahar Ataei, CFO of Gulf Air, told Reuters in an email interview.

She said negotiations with manufacturers were expected to finish by the first quarter of 2016, but did not disclose which manufacturer was preferred.

Bahrain's national carrier, with a fleet of 28 Airbus narrow and wide-body aircraft, is going through a lengthy restructuring which aims to return the loss-making airline to profit.

(arabianbusiness.com)