The national airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Gulf Air, has just announced it will be operating a new route to Nice, France starting in July. The announcement that the Gulf carrier would be adding a new boutique leisure destination to its summer line-up was made during the recent Kuwait Aviation Show.
The new twice-weekly flights from Bahrain International Airport (BAH) to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) fit in with the Gulf airline's strategy of adding unique leisure destinations to its network.
Gulf Air will be using a new A321neo for the Nice flights
In a press release issued during the Kuwait show, Gulf Air announced that it would be putting one of its brand new Airbus 321neos on the premium route.
When talking about the new Gulf Air flight, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, and Chairman of Gulf Air’s Board of Directors, H.E Zayed R. Alzayani said:
“It is very exciting for our national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain to reach further places and connect multiple cities in the East and the West to its hub, Bahrain.
“On the western side of our network map, and coinciding with our expansion in Europe in summer 2020, we will launch flights to Nice on the Cote d'Azur as a boutique destination catering to our premium leisure travelers. As we welcome our new Airbus 321neo this year, we will serve our European routes with a brand new aircraft featuring flat-beds and superior in-flight entertainment system for more enjoyable journeys with Gulf Air.”
Gulf Air will fly year-round to Milan
As of 2020, Gulf Air flies to 30 countries from its hub at Bahrain International Airport and is looking to expand further in Europe.
Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) in northern Italy will now be served with year-round flights from the Kingdom of Bahrain starting in the summer of 2020. At the same time as the Milan flights, Gulf Air announced that Mykonos, Greece, and Munich, Germany would be seasonal destinations for the Gulf carrier.
As a part of its fleet renewal process and network expansion, Gulf Air will take delivery of its first Airbus A321neo in early 2020.
Gulf Air is replacing its older aircraft
In total, the Bahrain-based airline will take delivery of eight new Airbus A321neos. These will be used to replace six existing A321-200s as well as allowing the carrier to expand on the current 55 destinations it serves.
The new A321neos that Gulf Air has on order all feature 16 Falcon Gold business class seats and 150 economy class seats. This is three fewer seats than the old A321-200s had.
Along with the new A321neos, Gulf Air will also be taking delivery of nine A321LR (long-range) planes that it plans to deploy on several of its longer routes.
In addition to the new aircraft arriving from Toulouse, Gulf Air is in the process of replacing its Airbus A330 fleet with new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Of the new destinations, Milan makes the most sense as it is the global fashion and design center with a population of 1.4 million people. Munich too makes sense, but Mykonos and Nice sound to me a little too optimistic when it comes to filling a plane with passengers.
What do you think about the new Gulf Air routes? Please let us know in the comments section.