Gulf Air takes delivery of 12 new aircraft in 12 months
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Gulf Air has taken delivery of two new Embraer 190-100 aircraft this month, taking the number of new aircraft in the airline’s rapidly-growing fleet to 12 in the last 12 months.
Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali said the induction of two more new aircraft in its fleet demonstrated Gulf Air’s proactive re-fleeting plan – a core component of the company’s new strategy to create a commercially sustainable business with a strong product offering.
“Customers have become more discerning these days and they look for convenient flight schedules and the latest in-flight experience whenever they choose to fly; we at Gulf Air recognise that we need to offer both in order to be a carrier of choice,” he said.
“By selecting aircraft that are optimally-sized for our network and that meet our customers’ aspirations, we are offering our passengers unbeatable choice in terms of schedule convenience and in-flight amenities and at the same time, we are accelerating the expansion and frequency of our regional network, reinforcing our leadership position.”
He continued: “Our aim is to serve every capital and major city in the region with at least a double daily service; this objective can now become a reality thanks to the size, reliability, comfort and unbeatable economics of these new regional jets.”
“With the induction of 12 new aircraft in the past 12 months and the phasing out of 12 older aircraft, the average age of our fleet is just 6.8 years - which compares very well with the region’s other airlines.
The new Embraer 190-100 aircraft feature 12 Falcon Gold and 84 Economy seats.
They have seat back TV screens offering interactive personal audio and video-on-demand entertainment.
The two newly-delivered E190-100s will be used to serve eight to ten Intra-Gulf and regional routes on Gulf Air’s network throughout its summer and winter schedules.
The new aircraft entered the fleet on a three year lease agreement with the option to extend it. Their arrival brings the number of regional jets in the airlines fleet to four. Gulf Air took delivery of two E170 regional jets from Embraer in March this year on a three year lease agreement with the option to extend for a further five years.
In parallel to the fast-track introduction of the two leased Embraer 190-100 jets, Gulf Air is carrying out a full analysis and evaluation of all the regional jets in the market before deciding on the regional jet-type that would suit its requirement on a permanent basis. This will support Gulf Air’s strategic blueprint that aims to create an airline reflecting the needs and aspirations of its customers with a targeted, more focused regional and international network, a superior and more consistent product and a modern, more efficient fleet.
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