Printer-friendly Version

Samer Al Majali, CEO of Gulf Air, is pictured with flight attendants during the inauguration of Bahrain-Erbil flights on October 27. PRESS PHOTO

Seeing that "this region means business," Gulf Air becomes the fourth airline to make inroads into Kurdistan's travel business.

The Kingdom of Bahrain's national carrier, Gulf Air, began flying its Erbil route on Tuesday, October 27. Onboard the maiden voyage were Iraq's ambassador in Bahrain, Ghassan Mohsen Hussein, Bahrain's ambassador in Iraq, Salah Almalki, diplomats, businessmen, a large media delegation from Bahrain, and airline officials and executives.
Erbil will raise the number of destinations in Iraq flown by Gulf Air to three, following services to Baghdad and Najaf that began in September.

"Today's inaugural flight to Erbil completes a hat-trick of services Gulf Air offers to key destinations in Iraq. It is yet another objective successfully achieved as we continue to expand our presence in Iraq with two more destinations in the pipeline, establishing our market leadership in Iraq," says Samer Al Majali, CEO of Gulf Air, arriving in Erbil International Airport.

"The Kurdistan Region in the north of Iraq is prospering and peaceful and has significant tourism and business potential, which we will to tap into. In anticipation of the expected rise in visitors to the region in the coming years, a new airport will open in Erbil in 2010 capable of handling 2.75 million passengers per year," stated Al Majali to media outlets attending the ceremony.

"Already there is an increase in the amount of executive accommodations available, and private sector investment across a wide range of sectors in the region now totals more than US$16 billion. These are all clear signs that this region means business. My hope is for Gulf Air to support and take advantage of these opportunities, with Bahrain becoming the key Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] gateway for traffic from Asia Pacific and the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe to Erbil," Al Majali told reporters.

«As Iraq>s third largest city as well as the capital of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Erbil is an important commercial centre in Iraq. The Kurdistan Region has significant proven petroleum and gas reserves, and over 35 companies from 20 countries have signed exploration and development contracts with the KRG. Just like Bahrain, the KRG is nurturing a business-friendly environment and has started attracting businesses to the region, which are looking at its long-term potential," stated Al Majali in an earlier statement on Gulf Air's official website.

An earlier press release from Gulf Air reported that flights to Erbil were to begin on October 26. The maiden flight was rescheduled to October 27 for unknown reasons.

Service to Erbil will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, using a new-generation Airbus A320 aircraft.

Gulf Air (GF) flight 205 will depart from Bahrain at 14.10 and arrive in Erbil at 16.25. The return flight, GF204, will depart Erbil at 17.15 and arrive in Bahrain at 19.30 local time. The winter schedule will end on March 27, 2010, when daily flights will replace the current three weekly trips.

Gulf Air, one of the main carriers from the GCC operates flights to 45 destinations in 29 countries from its main hub at Bahrain International Airport, near Manama, the small island kingdoms' capital.

Before the end of 2010, Gulf Air is also planning to add Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan Region, and Basrah, Iraq's main seaport on the Arabian Gulf.

Erbil International Airport has been open since 2005 and connects many destinations to its current terminal. A new world-class terminal will open before the end of 2009 or early 2010, noted an anonymous source at the airport.

National carriers flying to the city include Austrian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Iraqi Airways, and as of October 27, Gulf Air.