LONDON – Reporting from Manama, Bahrain on the 9th of November, the national carrier of Bahrain Gulf Air and Emirates officially inked a new unilateral codeshare partnership which will begin in December.
The new agreement will allow customers to have easy connections between to hubs of Dubai and Manama to the wider world. This is highly beneficial for Gulf Air, utilising Emirates’ extensive network to Europe, South America, the Far East and Africa.
The inking of such a meaningful partnership was made on the very first day of the Bahrain Airshow, signalling a momentum between the two Gulf Carriers and the overall tone of Gulf carriers towards one another. The quest for this partnership, however, gained momentum as early as last year when a framework of cooperation was put together.
At the Airshow, the signing ceremony was presided over by President Emirates Airline, Sir Tim Clark and Gulf Air’s Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed Al Alawi in the presence of H.E. Mr Zayed R. Alzayani, Gulf Air’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. The signing ceremony was also attended by VIP airlines executive management teams.
Through partnerships, one would expect partnerships to be win-win for Emirates and Gulf Air, but this will be more beneficial for Gulf Air as it is a much smaller carrier. Nevertheless, the partnership will have a marketing code of GF on Emirates-operated flights to other destinations not flown by Gulf Air. Travellers flying with Gulf Air will have seamless connections to the world with Emirates.
Passengers under the new codeshare agreement will open up their worlds to numerous destinations, as travellers originating from Bahrain or the Gulf region when they are well informed about this partnership. The destinations that are being tabled by the partnerships are to be very beneficial for Gulf Air fliers or Manama-based passengers.
The new partnership will have customers connecting between the two airlines extremely conveniently, with a unified policy, seamless transfers on ticketing, baggage and check-in with fares on a multi-airline journey with Emirates Airlines.
Partner statements
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airlines said: “We are pleased to partner with Gulf Air to offer their customers greater access and strong connection opportunities to unique destinations on our network, complemented by Emirates’ signature in-flight service and hospitality throughout their journey from Dubai.”
“We look forward to working together and achieving more with Gulf Air in the near future, and further strengthening our relationship.”
Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer commented: “Our relationship with Emirates Airlines has always been strong and today we are reaching a higher level of collaboration with many more opportunities on the horizon between the two carriers. This partnership will empower both of us to offer a more elevated experience to passengers and widen their travel options.”
Summary
A win-win situation for both airlines as a partnership will offer Gulf Air more connections to far-away destinations in Europe, North America, Africa, Australia, and Latin America with a stopover in Dubai. Emirates will also have a closer working relationship in aiding grow the ever-expanding and popular Bahrain boutique airline
