Gulf Air will be returning to South Africa after an absence of more than eight years.
The airline will be recommencing non-stop flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Johannesburg from December 2, 2005. The service will begin with three flights per week from Bahrain to Johannesburg and three flights from Johannesburg to Bahrain with timings specifically designed to connect with Gulf Air’s other new destination: Dublin.
Flights from Johannesburg will also provide excellent connectivity onwards to Hong Kong, Manila, Bangkok and Istanbul and a number of other destinations in Gulf Air’s extensive network.
Operated by Airbus A330 aircraft, passengers will be able to experience the airline’s state-of-the-art sky beds in First and Business Class along with other innovations including Gulf Air’s unique Sky Chefs and Sky Nannies.
Gulf Air president and chief executive James Hogan is delighted to reintroduce Gulf Air’s service into the African market. “With the growing contact between South Africa and the Gulf for business and tourism, we felt the time was right to return to Johannesburg,” he said.
The Republic of South Africa’s ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Abdulhameed Gabier, welcomed the announcement stating the new service. “The benefits of cooperation between the southern African region and the Middle East are immense,” he said.
The new flights will also result in an added dimension to air travel. A $10 million refurbishment of Gulf Air’s A330 fleet was completed in the summer of 2005, which means passengers will effectively be flying in new aircraft. “There are just eight seats in First Class and 24 in Business. They are wider, more comfortable, more private, more convenient and more spacious than those offered by any other airline at present,” added Hogan.