Inaugural Gulf Air Flight Arrives In Baghdad
Released
on: September 03, 2009, 10:08 am
Author: Gulf Air
Industry: Travel
National
carrier Gulf Air has flown its inaugural flight to Baghdad. The
flight, on 1 September 2009, marked the start of a new five-time
weekly service the carrier is operating to the Iraqi capital.
Gulf Air chief executive officer Mr Samer Majali led a delegation
of senior Gulf Air executives, board members as well as government,
business, diplomatic and media representatives on the maiden voyage,
including Iraq's Ambassador to Bahrain, His Excellency, Mr Ghassan
Mohsen Hussain and Bahrain's Ambassador to Iraq, His Excellency,
Mr Salah Al Malki.
On
arriving at Baghdad
International Airport, Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali addressed
guests and media saying: "This is a great milestone for a
new, forward-looking Gulf Air. We were the first and only full-service
GCC carrier to operate into Baghdad back in 1976 and today we
reaffirm that leadership position. I am pleased to announce to
you here today in Iraq of our plans to extend our network into
the country even further. My plan is that we will soon operate
to a total of five destinations in Iraq: Baghdad; Najaf; Erbil;
Basra and Solamnia. Our services to Najaf and Erbil will commence
as soon as 15 September."
"Our
decision to resume flights to Iraq comes as the country continues
to make great progress in rebuilding, following years of unrest.
We are proud to be serving Iraq once again offering a direct service
from our home hub in Bahrain and excellent connections from Europe.
Iraq has enormous commercial potential for Gulf
Air and building on our experience and knowledge of operating
there over many years, our aim is to become the market leader
operating regular services to five key cities within the country."
Iraq's
Ambassador to Bahrain, His Excellency Mr Ghassan Mohsen Hussain,
said: "We are delighted that Gulf Air has taken advantage
of the recently agreed Air Service Agreement between our two countries
so quickly and that the trusted 'golden falcon' will be flying
into Baghdad once again. As Iraq transforms and develops, a direct
link into the GCC and onwards to Europe will be invaluable both
for attracting direct investment into the country and for businesses
and services in Iraq to prosper. In years to come, we also hope
to see our tourism industry flourish as people discover our rich
culture and ancient wonders."
As
well as the special Gulf Air delegation, more than 90 Gulf Air
customers were also onboard the inaugural flight taking immediate
advantage of the new direct
flights from Bahrain.
About
Gulf Air
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, was
founded in 1950 and is one of the oldest airlines in the Middle
East. It is owned by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holdings Company.
Backed
by more than half a century of experience, expertise and customer
care, Gulf Air has established as a powerful brand and today,
it is the carrier of choice for most people in the region and
it was the first GCC to offer flights
to Baghdad. However, its goal has remained unchanged - the
commitment to providing state-of-the-art flying experience, complemented
by its traditional Arabian hospitality.
Gulf
Air is the Official Airline and Sponsor of the Gulf Air Bahrain
Grand Prix 2009 and London-based football club Queens Park Rangers.
For further information:
Ms. Katherine Kaczynska
Gulf Air
P.O. Box: 138
Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain
00973 17338416
www.gulfair.com