Gulf Air adds two A320s in fleet renewal

The two new aircraft have already been inducted into the fleet, flying on Gulf Air's short and medium haul routes.
Manama: Gulf Air has added two Airbus A320 aircraft that take the number of new aircraft in the airline's fleet to 14 in the last 14 months.
The two new aircraft have already been inducted into the fleet, flying on Gulf Air's short and medium haul routes.
"The arrival of these two aircraft successfully completes the first phase of our fleet renewal programme as per our schedule," said Samer Majali, Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer.
"Now more than 40 per cent of our fleet is brand new, demonstrating our dynamic fleet-renewal plan, which is a core component of the company's new strategy to create a commercially sustainable business with a strong product offering. Besides, having a new, more efficient fleet means we can deliver a better service to our customers and at the same time we can lower our costs," he said.
According to Majali, the airline he was hired to turn to profitability, was on the right track in implementing its strategy that includes receiving new aircraft, launching new routes, offering new products and cost control across the board.
"Our fleet renewal strategy will continue in 2011 and we will continue to receive more aircraft during 2011 and afterwards," he said.
Gulf Air currently operates a total fleet of 34 aircraft and its network connects 45 cities in 29 countries.
The company is set to launch flights to Ethiopia next month, Majali said. The route was scheduled to start in December, but technical plans have pushed the inauguration by one month, he said.

- GulfNews.com