Gulf Air hosts exclusive preview of B777 for media and guests

Released on: March 24, 2009, 5:29 am
Author: Gulf Air
Industry: Travel

Gulf Air, National air carrier, provides an exclusive preview of the new Boeing777- 300ER aircraft to members of the media and invited guests.

In a function held at Bahrain International Airport, Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Björn Näf welcomed the VIPs, airport and civil aviation authorities, guests and members of the media and gave an overview of the B777 aircraft as well as Gulf Air's achievements and plans for the future.

"An integral part of the Kingdom's growth for nearly 60 years, national carrier Gulf Air shares a great synergy with Bahrain's 'Vision 2030' as our own growth strategy reflects," said Mr. Näf, "Gulf Air has established a name for itself over these decades as a powerful brand, well known for its hallmark Arabian hospitality offering innovative products and services to its customers. The award-winning Sky Chef and Sky Nanny are just a proof of this."

"The introduction of this new aircraft is another important step forward in this direction as we constantly endeavour to offer bespoke customer experience on the ground and in the air by introducing new aircraft, new destinations and world class products and facilities," he added.

"This is first of the four aircraft we have secured, while the rest will join our fleet in the coming weeks. We have ambitious growth plans as we expect more aircraft joining us progressively from this year onwards," Mr. Näf concluded.

Guests were given a preview tour of the new aircraft and its facilities which was stationed at the VIP terminal of the airport. The Boeing 777-300ER wide body plane is the largest long-range twin-engine commercial airplane in the world which features state-of-the art interiors and a host of amenities offering a total of 312 seats in first, business and economy class.

The new aircraft's First Class section comes with a private suite including bespoke furnishing and a fully flat bed complete with a personal wardrobe. The 'herring-bone' design Business Class offers a lie-flat bed with 180-degree recline, a privacy wall for personal space and world-class linens. Economy Class passengers will also not be disappointed as the seats come with more leg space to stretch out, a 130-degree recline and an adjustable hammock headrest.

Another key feature of B777 aircraft is that it offers more than 40% additional cargo capacity than the other aircraft being used in the routes where the B777 will be flying.

The aircraft, leased from Jet Airways, will be used on a number of routes including Gulf Air's flights to London, flights to Kuala Lumpur,
flights to Bangkok and intra Gulf Routes, gradually replacing the Airbus 340s.

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About Gulf Air
Gulf Air was founded in 1950. Today it is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, and is the only truly pan Gulf carrier in the region. The airline's network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 42 cities in 27 countries. The current fleet of Gulf Air consists of 29 aircraft.

The new network, based on a "wave" model, offers as many as 588 flights every week in the Middle East with more non-stop flights than any other airline.

The airline is also planning to re-fleet itself over the next five years to further strengthen its presence. It recently signed a deal worth nearly US $ 6 billion with Boeing to purchase up to 24 Boeing 787 aircraft and another deal with Airbus for 35 aircraft, including A320s and A330s.

For further information please contact:
Karan Srinivasan
Corporate Communications Department
Gulf Air
P.O. Box 138
Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain
00973 39901242
www.gulfair.com