History

James Hogan is appointed as the new President and Chief Executive in May.

The three-year restructuring and turnaround programme is launched with international and local management. An Executive Management Entry Programme and apprenticeship scheme is introduced.

Gulf Air becomes first Middle East airline to introduce in-flight chefs to serve first class passengers. Gulf Air Holidays Arabian Experience programme is launched.

AIMS the Airline Information Management System is implemented for flying crew on all Gulf Air flights. Gulf Air is the only airline in region to receive the Airbus Operational Excellence Award for 2000 / 2001 and Gulf Air and CFM International commemorate 10th anniversary of introduction of CFM56 engines into fleet and is awarded for becoming the CFM56-5C fleet leader in terms of engine cycles.

The Gulf Air Board unanimously approves the three-year recovery plan at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 18 December.

Gulf Air unveils its new corporate identity in April as part of the progressive change management programme.

Gulf Traveller, the all economy full service airline commences service out of Abu Dhabi in June.

Gulf Air is the first Middle East airline to introduce self-service electronic check-in kiosks and SMS notification technology a downloadable version of the timetable.

Code-share agreements are concluded with Air India and Saudi Arabian Airlines.

Flights to Zanzibar are resumed in June and Cochin is added to the network of destinations.

The new look frequent flyer programme is launched in September and the worldwide contact centre goes live at the Knowledge Oasis in Muscat, where state-of-the-art technology is used to route calls from the region to a single, central reservations system.

Gulf Air announces its sponsorship of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix to be held in April 2004.

In a world first, Gulf Air introduces Norland-trained Sky Nannies to provide specialist child care on board long-haul flights.

Direct daily flights to Athens and Sydney are introduced on 23 November.

Following a commercial agreement with Indian Airlines, twice-weekly flights are started to Kolkata in West Bengal.

Gulf Air's new First and Business Class lounge opens in Bahrain International Airport.

The first Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is held at the Bahrain International circuit in Sakhir at the beginning of April.

Gulf Air is recognised with the prestigious Airline Turnaround of the Year Award by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) in 2003 and is selected as a one of the leading and most recognised brands in the UAE by the Superbrands Council. The airline also receives the top honour of a platinum award for being voted the Best Middle East and North Africa Airline at the 2004 Arabian Travel Market's inaugural MENA Awards. The airline is named the winner of the Excellence in Quality Improvement category of the 2004 Skytrax Airline Excellence Awards, the world's largest survey of passenger attitudes towards airlines.

Direct flights are introduced between Dubai and London and Muscat and London.

A daily service between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah is launched.

Bookshop in the Sky is introduced In June 2004.

A First and Business class lounge is opened at Terminal Three in Heathrow Airport.

Commercial agreements are signed with KLM and Air Garuda.

Gulf Air signs with Oman-based Macrosoft for the implementation of the Oracle e-Business suite.

Gulf Air signs and agreement with Sabre inc in terms of which a new joint venture comes into being. Based in Bahrain, the Sabre Travel Network Middle East, will leverage the marketing and sales opportunities for Sabre's technology services, bookable travel products and distribution services for travel agencies, corporations and travel suppliers in the region.

Gulf Air carries a record 7.5 million passengers during the year.

• Gulf Air's appetite for innovation is again recognised when the world's first Sky Nanny receives a commendation at the 2004 Gulf Marketing Review Marketing Effectiveness Awards in the Best New Product launch category.
  
• The airline celebrates its 55th birthday and in doing so reconfirms its position as the elder statesman and pioneer of the Middle East aviation industry, while demonstrating that 'age' is no barrier to enthusiasm and innovation.
  
• A return to profit announced with the best financial performance since 1997. Despite a BD30 million (USD80 million) cost to the business through fuel price rises during the year, Gulf Air recorded a profit of BD1.5 million (USD4.0 million) in the calendar year to December 2004, on revenues up 23.8 per cent to BD476.3 million (USD1.26 billion) (2003: BD 384.6 million / USD1,020.2 million). The results mean the airline out-performed the targets set under Project Falcon, the three-year restructuring plan approved by the Board in December 2002.
  
• Gulf Air's sponsorship of the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix continued to reap dividends for the airline, with a record crowd, a global TV audience well as a record number of passengers being carried to the Kingdom by the airline from all corners of the globe for the 1-3 April 2005 race.
  
• Gulf Air picks up its first ever Freddie for 'Best Award Redemption, Frequent Flyer Programme, Europe/Middle East/Africa: and was highly commended in two other categories.
  
• Three new Holiday Experience Programmes are introduced for 2005, which provide the greatest choice and best value for money for holiday makers since the Gulf Air Holidays Experience theme was launched two years ago.
  
• In the World Airline Catering Awards published by Skytrax, Gulf Air clinches top position for both First and Business Class onboard catering on long-haul intercontinental flights.
  
• A codeshare agreement is signed with Middle East Airlines which makes provision for codeshare flights between Abu Dhabi and Beirut to be operated by Middle East Airlines.
  
• An agreement is signed with AXA Insurance which makes provision for the sale of holiday and travel insurance from the airline's sales offices.
  
• A daily, direct service between Cairo and Sydney is introduced offering a three-class service on daily flights to Sydney via Bahrain and Singapore.
  
• The number of Sky Chefs on board Gulf Air's long haul flights serving Europe, the Far East and Australasia passes the 100 mark.
  
• New ground is broken with the opening of the first dedicated Gulf Air Holidays shop in Seef Mall, Bahrain. The move follows the rapid growth in Gulf Air's holiday business.
  
• Gulf Air is placed on the IOSA registry following its successful completion of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).
  
• Emirate of Abu Dhabi, one of the partners of Gulf Air, withdraws its shareholding. The Governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman confirm their unequivocal and full support to Gulf Air.
  
• Gulf Air and Evergreen - a global leader in cargo operations - sign a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the feasibility of partnerships in freighter operations to serve regional and long haul markets.
  
• Gulf Air signs FFP agreement with Jet Airways.
  
• Gulf Air launches electronic ticketing in four locations - Bahrain, London, Singapore and Sydney.
  
• Gulf Air's inflight magazine, "air" was named the Best Inflight Entertainment Guide at the 17th Annual Avion Awards run by the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA).
  
• Gulf Air scoops two prestigious awards at the 12th Annual World Travel Awards - the Middle East's Leading First Class Airline and the World's Leading Airport Lounge for its First and Business Class lounge in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
  
• Gulf Air is voted the region's top Travel and Tourism Company of the Year in the Arabian Business Awards 2005.
  
• Gulf Air inflight magazine "air" chosen among the world passenger airlines as the "best designed inflight magazine" at the American Creativity awards.
  
• Gulf Air launches new services to Dublin and Johannesburg.
  
• Gulf Air wins two major awards at the PAX International Readership Awards Ceremony, one for "best new product launch" - inflight service for catering, service, design and delivery and the other, for the "Middle East region's best airport restaurant" for its restaurant at Bahrain International Airport lounge.
  
• Gulf Air is the winner of the 'Best Client Business Transformation' award by Landor Associates.
  
• Gulf Air and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) finalise terms for the provision of a three-year syndicated term loan facility of USD 75 million to be used for financing ongoing investment and growth in 2006.
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January
Gulf Air signs agreement with Thai Airways to codeshare on Thai Airways' services in the following sectors: Bangkok-Muscat, Bangkok–Phuket-Bangkok, Bangkok-Chiang Mai-Bangkok. Thai Airways codeshare with Gulf Air on its Bangkok-Bahrain and Bangkok-Muscat sectors.

e-ticketing extended to cover more destinations. Now, passengers travelling between Abu Dhabi/London, Abu Dhabi/Bahrain/Singapore/Sydney Abu Dhabi/Muscat, Muscat/London, Muscat/Bahrain/Singapore/Sydney and, Muscat/Abu Dhabi can be issued with e-tickets on these routes.

February
Gulf Air and a consortium of lenders sign an agreement for the provision of a three-year syndicated term loan facility of USD 75 million that will be used to finance ongoing investment and growth during 2006.

Gulf Air reports a strong increase in passenger traffic through its hubs in Bahrain and Muscat during 2005. Premium traffic rises across the Gulf Air network by 26 per cent and Revenue per Available Seat Kilometre (RASK), rose by 10 per cent.

Gulf Air expands codeshare agreement with American Airlines (AA) that allows AA to codeshare on two more Gulf Air destinations, i.e., Kuwait and Doha via Bahrain.

Gulf Air announces a new three-year strategic plan - Smart Airline, Successful Business - that includes provision for re-capitalisation of the airline, re-equipment of the fleet, product upgrades and refurbishment of present aircraft, and investment in a range of areas of the business.

Gulf Air and Arab Financial Services (AFS) sign agreement for the provision of a payment gateway that facilitates credit card payment processing as part of an online payment solution.

Gulf Air wins Skytrax Awards for its 'Onboard Catering Excellence.' By winning the award, Gulf Air has repeats its winning streak, not just once, but three times in various categories.

Gulf Air receives 'Best New Entrant Airline' award for 2005 from Athens International Airport (AIA).

March
Gulf Air unveils a new icon Gulfy to a large gathering of children, teachers, Gulf Air patrons and media persons in Bahrain and Muscat. The life-size, cartoon character will entertain and enthrall children.

A new Destination Management Company is set up by Gulf Air jointly with Bahrain's leading travel and tourism operating companies, Kanoo Travel and Dadabhai Travel.

Gulf Air wins the prestigious Mercury Award for 2005. Airline receives the "Gold" award in the onboard service category and was also named the "overall winner" for its innovation, quality in application and customer satisfaction.

Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2006, the three day hi-octane, internationally acclaimed mostorsport event gets under way. Gulf Air is the title sponsor and the official carrier of the event.

Gulf Air announces extension of sponsorship of the Grand Prix until 2010. The airline signs an agreement with Allsport Management at the conclusion of the 2006 Grand Prix.

Gulf Air sponsored Rally Oman 2006 takes off at Muscat.

Gulf Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV) expand codeshare arrangements to introduce new services between Bahrain and Al-Madinah and between Muscat and Dammam.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Swiss-based SR Technics Holding (SR Technics) paves the way for the establishment of an aircraft maintenance facility and training centre in Muscat to maintain and repair the airline’s fleet on a five-year contract valued at USD750 million.

Crown Prince of Bahrain and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, opens the BD3.5 million, state-of-the-art Gulf Air Flight Simulator Centre located at Gulf Air's headquarters in Muharraq.

April
Gulf Air expands codeshare arrangement with Saudi Arabian Airlines by introducing, for the first time, services between Bahrain and Al-Madinah Al Monwara and, between Muscat and Dammam in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Gulf Air extends e-ticketing in the region enabling travel agencies in Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates to book through Sabre Global Distribution System.

May
Gulf Air and Philippine Airlines (PAL) sign a codesharing arrangement on selected routes to the Middle East and other destinations.

Gulf Air reports strong improvements in major key performance indicators during the first quarter of 2006, as the airline’s two-hub strategy took effect.  During the first three months of the year, the seat factor increased to 73.0 per cent, reflecting a 6.3 per cent increase in premium passengers and a strong increase in Haj traffic. Unit revenue for the same period rose by 6.6 per cent over 2005. Passenger traffic at Bahrain International Airport in the first quarter showed a 24 per cent increase year on year, while there was a 20 per cent increase at Seeb International Airport for the first three months of the year.

Gulf Air signs a multi-million dollar corporate sponsorship deal with Oman Football Association (OFA) whereby the airline becomes the official sponsor for the national Senior, Olympic, Under-19 and Under-17 teams.

June
Gulf Air scoops three Skytrax awards;
2006 Skytrax Award for 'Best Onboard Catering Excellence' for the third consecutive year.
2006 Skytrax Award for Best Regional Airline – Middle East.
2006 Skytrax Award for Second Best Cabin Crew in the Middle East.

July
Gulf Air introduces non-stop flights between Muscat and Paris four days a week.

e-ticketing facility now covers destinations in Australia, Cyprus, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the Gulf and UK. 

Gulf Air extends Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) to Dublin allowing passengers from Bahrain to take their pet cats and dogs as cargo to Dublin without the animals having to undergo quarantine.

Gulf Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines expand their co-operation by adding new services between Riyadh – Bangkok by two flights a week via Muscat Seeb International Airport.

August
Gulf Air and Malaysia Airlines sign a codesharing agreement allowing Malaysia Airlines to market seats under its code on Gulf Air operated flights between Kuala Lumpur bound for Bahrain and Oman.

Gulf Air wins 'Operational Excellence Award' from Airbus for its consistent performance from 2003 to 2005, amongst all airlines that have A330 aircraft. The award is given to airlines based on revenue flight hours, revenue take-offs, number of chargeable operational interruptions and average delay time.

September
Gulf Air resumes daily non-stop service to Beirut.

Gulf Air President and Chief Executive James Hogan completed his tenure with Gulf Air on 30 September 2006.  Vice President Finance Ahmed Al Hammadi takes over as Acting President and Chief Executive.

Gulf Air Cargo’s Dubai operation joins top ten league achieving outstanding results for 2005 in terms of cargo uplift and revenue.

October
Gulf Air completes Interline Electronic Ticketing (IET) with American Airlines (AA). Passengers can enjoy the convenience of using a single e-ticket for journeys on Gulf Air and American Airlines to eligible destinations.

Gulf Air registers record passenger numbers at the airline’s key hubs: 31.0 per cent increase to 4.7 million passengers through the two hubs, compared to the same period last year.

November
His Excellency Juma bin Ali bin Juma Al Juma, Minister of Manpower of the Sultanate of Oman, visits Gulf Air's Worldwide Contact Centre (WWCC) at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) on Saturday, 4 November 2006.

Gulf Air Frequent flyer programme ties up with Eurostar, whereby FFP members can redeem their miles for travel between London and Paris, Brussels, Lille or Disneyland Paris.

Gulf Air Cargo commissions a series of scheduled freighter charters to meet customers' demand for more cargo capacity during the traditional peak season.

December
Gulf Air wins the "Best Business Airline" award at the British Travel Awards held on the final day of the World Travel Mart (WTM) expo held in London. Gulf Air was voted to the coveted award by members of the UK travel trade and consumers, in a competition that saw popular carriers Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, British Airways, Virgin, Malaysian Airlines, Etihad, Singapore Airlines and EOS vying for the position.

Gulf Air partners with Accor Hotels Group offering its Frequent flyer programme members an opportunity to earn more miles, when they stay at three of its well-known brands - Sofitel, Novotel and Mercure hotels.

Gulf Air unveils avant-garde livery for Cabin Service Managers, designed by Paris-based designer house, 'Creation & Image,' creators of Balmain brand uniforms.

Gulf Air wins the  '2006 DBA Design Effectiveness Award' in the Corporate/Brand Identity category (over £100,000) from UK-based Design Business Association (DBA).

The Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company’s Board of Directors, headed by its Chairman and Finance Minister, HE Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, visits Gulf Air headquarters.

Mr. Michael Wette, Partner & Managing Director of Roland Berger Middle East in Bahrain, appointed as a member of the Gulf Air Board of Directors.

January
Oman’s Minister of Transport and Communication HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Harthy takes over as Chairman of Gulf Air Board of Directors. Mr. Al Harthy, who was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the Board, assumed the chairmanship on 1 January 2007 as part of an annual rotation between the two owning states, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman.

Swiss citizen André Dosé, an airline industry veteran with more than 30 years experience in the aviation business, is named as the airline’s new Chief Executive Officer.

Fourth roadshow for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2007 begins in Bahrain. Roadshow travels to Muscat, Beirut, Cairo, Kuwait, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dubai and the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

February
Gulf Air Cadet Pilot Ms. Maisa Hazeem becomes the first Bahraini woman to qualify as First Officer after successfully completing her training.

Gulf Air sponsors the 17th Gulf Scrabble Tournament (GST) for 2007 to be organised by the Bahrain Scrabble League (BSL).

Gulf Air records impressive growth in premium class passenger segment with a three per cent growth in January 2007 vis-à-vis the same period in 2006 while registering an impressive 8.5 % growth in the first fourteen days of February over the same period last year.

March
Mahmood Hashem Al Kooheji, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat) is appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Gulf Air Board of Directors.

Jawad Habib Jawad joins Gulf Air as a new member of the Board.  The board also includes two other members from Bahrain, Khalid Omar Al Rumaihi and Michael Wette representing Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Co.

Gulf Air plays host to the 95th International Airlines Technical Pool (IATP) Convention held in Bahrain. Over 400 members from the global aviation industry attend.

Gulf Air’s Frequent flyer programme wins prestigious Gold Award in Loyalty category at the 2006 Gulf “Effectiveness in Marketing” Awards (GEMAS).

Gulf Air hosts Arabesk Airlines meeting in which representatives of several Arab carriers discuss ways and means to strengthen ties and expand cooperation.

Gulf Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines expand their codeshare alliance to add new services between Riyadh and Kathmandu via Bahrain, making the codeshare alliance the largest between any two carriers in the Middle East.

Gulf Air wins SkyTrax award for best First and Business Class onboard catering for the fourth time in succession at the SkyTrax World Airline Awards 2007.

Gulf Air also wins the Business Traveller magazine's "Cellars in the Sky 2006" awards for two of its wines served onboard its First and Business Class.

April
André Dosé assumes office as Gulf Air’s new President and Chief Executive (PCE) from 1 April.

Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2007 successfully held on 13, 14 and 15 April 2007 attracting record number of visitors.

Board of Directors approves a new restructuring plan aimed at significantly reducing company losses over the next few years. The plan involves some tough new measures including cost cutting across the entire company, streamlining the structure of the organisation and making network operations more efficient.

Gulf Air starts BD 310 million “Get Well” programme. The plan consists of two pillars to completely reshape the network to better serve the needs of the Bahrain and Oman economies and, to improve customer service through higher punctuality, better reliability and lower connection times.

Services to heavy, loss-making long-haul routes,  Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Johannesburg and Dublin, to be stopped from 1 July so that the fleet and resources can be used in the most efficient way to ensure that customers are served effectively.

May
Gulf Air launches two new onboard magazines- Gulf Life - the airline's new inflight magazine and On Air- a separate 60-page inflight entertainment magazine. Ink Publishing - an international publishing company specialising in inflight magazines - appointed to publish the titles.

Gulf Air becomes the official carrier of Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE 2007) – a major travel trade show in the Middle East for the second time in a row.

Gulf Air sponsors another international motor event -The Gulf Air Bahrain International Motor Show (GFBIMS). Top international brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Harley Davidson, Hummer and Aston Martin take part.

Gulf Air retains its place on IOSA registry following the completion of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

Gulf Air’s gets back its website address www.gulfair.com after years of using the old address www.gulfairco.com, which will be gradually discontinued.

Gulf Air announces early retirement package for Bahraini and Omani employees.

Gulf Air website goes live with flight status information. Passengers can now get real-time flight departure and arrival details from its website.

Gulf Air Worldwide Call Centre is named “Middle East Call Centre of the Year” at a glittering award ceremony at the Insights Middle East Contact Centre World Forum 2007 in Dubai.

Gulf Air introduces new inflight meal service for customers travelling in Economy Class within the Gulf and the Middle Eastern sectors. The service, which is an innovative and modern concept, provides meals in an attractive and light-weight packaging, which the passengers can choose to consume in-flight or take it with them, if they prefer.

Gulf Air and Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) jointly launch a BD 1.2 million 'pilots training finance programme'. Under the programme, Gulf Air will select suitable candidates to undergo training in a reputed aviation training school through a comprehensive screening and selection process while BDB will finance all expenses related to the training of selected candidates. Successful candidates will join Gulf Air at the end of the training.

Gulf Air and Ethiopian Airlines sign up a strategic code-sharing agreement opening up routes and services to each other in their respective networks.

President and Chief Executive Mr. Andre Dose leaves the company in accordance with the terms of his employment contract, following a discussion and review of the ongoing implementation of company’s restructuring programme with the Board of Directors. The Board thanks Mr. Dosé for his assistance to the company during his employment period and wished him every success in his future plans.

The Gulf Air Board of Directors appoints Chief Operating Officer Björn Näf as the Acting President and Chief Executive.

Gulf Air inaugurates its World Wide Call Centre (WWCC) in Bahrain with 12 Bahraini call centre agents.

Gulf Air signs up Bahrain's rising motor racing star Hamad Al Fardan in its ongoing efforts to fostering sports activities in Bahrain. The sponsorship covers Fardan’s all race-related travel within the airline’s network until February 2008.

Taking its premium class onboard catering to greater heights, Gulf Air introduces a select range of handmade premium chocolates to its award-winning First Class menu. The chocolates will be supplied by Bahraini chocolatier-couple Ali Rashid and Marjo Rashid under an exclusive arrangement.

Gulf Air provides a lifetime opportunity for its young Bahraini management trainees to spend a full day individually with the CEO of the company, including shadowing him at meetings with senior management and staff.

With more than more than 80 per cent of its network covered by e-ticket, Gulf Air leads the way in the implementation of e-ticketing. The airline also successfully implements Interline e-ticketing agreements with 26 international airlines, which is a significant development.

Gulf Air signs up Global Incentive Agreement Programme – a strategic global partnership - with DHL Express, the global market leader in international express and logistics industry.

Bahrain's aviation history reaches a new milestone as Gulf Air takes off with a Bahrain-registered aircraft after the airline became a fully-owned Bahraini company.

Gulf Air embarks on a major road-show to showcase its products and services in five speciality events to be held in Bahrain between November 2007 and May 2008, i.e. "Jewellery Arabia 2007", "Autumn Fair 2008", "GEO 2008", "Beauty Arabia 2008" and "Middle East Petrotech 2008".

October
Gulf Air re-aligns its outstation sales force, which includes promoting several staff, many of whom are Bahrainis, to further enhance the company's strong presence in the Gulf and the Middle East region.

Gulf Air's flight operations receives a further boost with a new narrow-body Boeing 737-800 aircraft joining the airline’s fleet on a wet-lease agreement.

Gulf Air extends its cooperation with Saudi Arabian Airlines by operating two weekly non-stop code-shared flights on the Dammam-Kathmandu route. Saudi Arabian Airlines adds its code on the Gulf Air-operated two flights on Riyadh-Bahrain-Bangkok route as well as on two flights on Riyadh-Bahrain-Kathmandu route.

November
Another Boeing 737-800 new narrow-body aircraft joins Gulf Air fleet.

Chairman of the Board Mahmood Al Kooheji and Acting President and Chief Executive Björn Näf announce at the Dubai International Air Show, the next phase of the airline's 'Way Forward' realignment programme that includes an aircraft order to replace the existing fleet.

December
Gulf Air adds colour to the National Day celebrations through a historic photo exhibition titled "Now and Then; Gulf Air in Bahrain", featuring a visual tour of the Gulf Air's past and the present through a display of 50 large-size reprints.

Gulf Air passengers on flight GF 154 on 20 December travelling from Bahrain to Manila receive a special honour from the President of the Philippines Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The Philippines President, leading a team of officials, greeted and shook hands with each of the 220 Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as they came out of the arrival hall from the Gulf Air flight.

Gulf Air successfully completes Bahraini registration of all its 30 aircraft in less than three months' time.

January
Gulf Air signs agreement with Boeing Co. to purchase up to 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in a deal valued at nearly $6 billion at list price. The agreement is for 16 B-787 aircraft on direct order with the right to purchase eight more airplanes.

Dr. Mustafa AlSayed and Mr. Jameel Al Matrook join Gulf Air Board of Directors.

Gulf Air Board of Directors unanimously confirms Mr. Björn Näf as the President and Chief Executive of the company.

Airline signs a US$ 81.5 million loan agreement with Gulf International Bank as part of its growth strategy.

Gulf Air gets operating rights to Hyderabad and additional rights for daily services to Kochi and Kolkata following a successful bilateral agreement between Bahrain and Indian Civil Aviation authorities.

February
Gulf Air and Bahrain International Circuit sign agreement to promote the 2008 Formula One season – the fifth edition of Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

Gulf Air sponsors region’s popular cargo event “World Air Cargo Event 2008 in Bahrain.

Gulf Air takes part in Singapore Airshow, considered Asia's largest aerospace and defence event and one of the top three air shows in the world.

Gulf Air signs a three-year maintenance contract with SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC), Singapore, valued at US$ 21 million, to undertake heavy maintenance work for the airline’s five Airbus A340, six Airbus A320 and six Airbus A330 aircraft from 2008 to 2010.

Gulf Air becomes the main sponsor and official airline, for the fourth time, of Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE 2008) to be held in May 2008.

Gulf Air launches state-of-the-art Internet Booking Engine that provides faster, simpler, more convenient, accessible and even more secure features including online booking of hotel accommodation and car hire in Gulf Air’s network destinations. 

A new Gulf Air lounge opens at Dubai International Airport incorporating an Arabian flavour to the lounge environment and state-of-the-art facilities for premium passengers.

Gulf Air announces launch of new non-stop service to Shanghai (China)-its 41st destination- from 16 June 08.

Gulf Air records region’s best on-time performance of 90% average in February.

March
Gulf Air formalises the purchase agreement with Boeing (announced in January) in a ceremony held at Washington DC celebrating the U.S. - Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA) under the auspices of US-Bahrain Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Gulf Air appoints 43 Bahrainis in to regular service, who have been working on a temporary basis for the company.

Gulf Air unveils a new Formula One-themed aircraft ahead of the fifth edition of “Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2008"

April
Responding to the increasing passenger demand, Gulf Air increases its frequency from three daily flights to four between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain from 01 April 2008.

The fifth edition of Formula One “Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2008" takes off at Bahrain International Circuit. 

Gulf Air announces the appointment of London and Singapore-based designers James Park Associates to revamp and upgrade its entire fleet that includes redesign of all its aircraft interiors, together with its livery, uniforms and its passenger lounges.

Gulf Air announces Hyderabad service to begin from 1 July 08

Gulf Air’s online sales strategy proves to be a huge success with triple digit growth fuelled following the launch of new state-of-the-art Internet Booking Engine.

Gulf Air stand at the Arabian Travel Market features Boeing 737 dreamliner simulator attracting huge crowds.

Gulf Air deploys special aircraft to Damascus to bring back stranded Bahrainis in Beirut following civil unrest.

May
Gulf Air posts impressive performance of 95% seat load factor in the month of April. Airline’s performance also surpasses the region’s average by more than 2% during January–March period.

Gulf Air stand at the Bahrain International Travel Expo features ‘Internet Lounge’ theme attracting large number of visitors to experience its new internet booking engine.

Gulf Air plays host to a major international safety workshop – the 27th International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) Reachout Workshop.

Gulf Air orders 35 Airbus aircraft at the Berlin Airshow. The order includes a combination of single aisle and widebody aircraft that will more than double the airline’s Airbus fleet.

June
Gulf Air bids farewell to the last of its Boeing 767 aircraft after years of exemplary service in the airline’s fleet. The Boeing 767 fleet, which at one time numbered 20 aircraft, served the Gulf Air network safely for almost 20 years clocking-up more than one million flight-hours amongst them.

Gulf Air enters into a strategic alliance with Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority (BECA) aimed at boosting the kingdom’s position as a leading destination for corporate meetings, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions.

Gulf Air and the University of Bahrain (UoB) sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on a number of activities that would provide opportunities for professional development, training and transfer of knowledge between the two institutions.

Gulf Air repeats its impressive performance of April with seat load factors reaching as high as 95% in some sectors and exceeding 85% across the network. Airline’s performance also surpasses the region’s average by more than 3% during January–May period. 

Gulf Air’s first flight to Shanghai takes off successfully from Bahrain on 16 June marking another milestone in the historic and friendly relationship between Bahrain and China.

Gulf Air achieves 100 per cent implementation of e-ticketing across its entire network, well ahead of IATA’s deadline of 1 June 2008. The airline also completes 90% Interline Electronic Ticketing (IET) arrangement with its partner airlines.