GULF AIR, the national carrier of Bahrain, has made a re-entry into Sri Lankan skies after a lapse of five years.
The airline now flies five times a week between Bahrain and Colombo.
The inaugural flight arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport to a water canon salute on October 5. On board the flight were Gulf Air’s CEO Samer Majali, chief service officer Marcus Bernhardt, director corporate affairs Mohammed Amin Hulaiwah and other officials.
Speaking at a press conference in Colombo, Majali said the new service will provide added connectivity from Colombo to Bahrain and thereby to other Middle Eastern destinations.
He said: “Given that Gulf Air has the largest network in the Middle East with non-stop flights providing seamless onward connections to a host of other international destinations, we believe it is the apt time for us to have a dynamic presence here in Sri Lanka.
“We are currently one of the most powerful brands and a name to reckon with in the global industry and our network stretches from Europe to Asia, connecting 44 cities in 29 countries with a fleet of 36 aircraft.”
He said that with Sri Lanka now having a very pragmatic outlook of creating an aviation hub for South Asia, it makes good business sense for Gulf Air to be a part of this vision, while adding value to the large numbers of Sri Lankan expatriates living and working in the Middle East.
Majali said the airline is aiming at a profitable operation to Colombo. “We believe this service will be attractive to travelers and the operation will achieve profitability in quick time,” he added.
Gulf Air also reaffirmed its partnership with Mack Air, the airline division of John Keells Holdings, to provide General Sales Agency services.
Gulf Air flies to Colombo on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday using an A320 aircraft. The return flights are on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Gulf Air will be commencing services to three more destinations this year - Basra from December 5, Addis Ababa from December 6 and Isfahan from December 9.