Gulf Air’s Focus Is to Be a ‘Boutique Luxury’ Airline: CEO Alalawi

Gulf Air’s Focus Is to Be a ‘Boutique Luxury’ Airline: CEO Alalawi

Gulf Air will remain hyper-focused on expanding its fleet and adding network capacities, according to its outgoing CEO.

Another key focus for the airline – as competition gets even more intense among Gulf airlines – is to improve inflight experiences. And help Bahrain meet its target of 14.1 million tourists by 2026.

Once described as a ‘grand lady’ of the Arabian skies, Gulf Air had to move away from the passenger volume-driven approach to compete against regional heavyweights Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways.

Instead, Gulf Air aims to achieve the goals by developing into a ’boutique luxury product’ targeting corporate and millennial travelers, according to Capt. Waleed AbdulHameed Alalawi, who is stepping down as CEO month-end.

Plus, the Bahrain International Airport’s new passenger terminal – the country’s largest infrastructure project to date – has ‘equipped’ the airline to operate at maximum capacity, said Alalwai.

The aviation veteran spearheaded the airline through the COVID-19 pandemic after launching his career with Gulf Air as a pilot in 1980.

New fleet

“We want to portray the airline as a solid national asset that serves the Kingdom of Bahrain and yet caters to an international audience,” said Alalawi.

Like other airlines, Gulf Air is waiting for aircraft to join the fleet