The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain will commence scheduled services to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport on October 3rd, 2022, with two weekly frequencies. The flights will link the northernmost of the United Arab Emirates to Bahrain and on to regional and international destinations via Gulf Air.
Third UAE destination for Gulf Air
The announcement comes after the flag carrier signed an agreement last year with Ras Al Khaimah International Airport to establish a year-round scheduled operation between the two airports. The outgoing flight GF 0550 will depart from Bahrain's capital of Manama at 8.05 am and land in Ras Al Khaimah at 10.35 pm. The return leg, GF0551, will take off from Ras Al Khaimah at 11.35 pm and return to Bahrain at 11.55 pm.
Ras Al Khaimah will be the third destination in the United Emirates for Gulf Air, following Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Chairman of the Board of Directors of H.E., Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, highlighted the services available at the airport and the Emirate's recent growth as a beach destination:
“As the region’s leading boutique carrier with a global footprint, we look forward to adding Ras Al Khaimah to our network of seaside destinations and increasing our UAE points to three with Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Today we signed on the commencement of services to proceed with operations to Ras Al Khaimah, and I am confident our passengers will be impressed with all the facilities and services Ras Al Khaimah International Airport has to offer.”
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The Emirate is undergoing a significant tourism push to attract three million visitors by 2030. The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) announced last month that domestic and tourism reached over half a million visitors between January and June 2022. The airport is ten minutes to the city center, 45 minutes to Dubai City, and features free parking.
There is stiff competition between Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Flag carrier Gulf Air currently serves Abu Dhabi twice daily, competing with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. From Bahrain to Dubai, Gulf Air flies up to seven times a day, competing with services from Emirates and flydubai.
More routes for the UAE
There is indirect competition on Air Arabia from Bahrain to Sharjah, but no direct competition to Ras Al Khaimah. Gulf Air Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi, highlighted his excitement to add the airport to Gulf Air's network:
“We are delighted to add Ras Al Khaimah as third destination on our growing UAE network, and we would like to recognise and thank the proactive cooperation with Ras Al Khaimah International Airport as we provide our passengers with a new destination known for its quality tourism appeal and attracts tourists from the GCC and Europe."
"Gulf-state and European connectivity is a key factor of our expansion strategy, and Gulf Air is an ideal partner for this mission," RAK Airport's CEO, Mr. Atanasios Titonis, said of the announcement. "We are looking forward to further developing our partnership and providing more scope for passengers to select their destination of travel from our airport."
The airport saw several new routes teased in recent weeks. The airline IndiGo announced Ras Al-Khaimah as its 100th destination, with a daily flight from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport beginning September 22nd. The Emirate is also set to start additional direct services to Germany, a top five tourism source market for Ras Al Khaimah, with Corendon Airlines serving Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, and Munich from November 1st.
Source: Routesonline