6.7.2011
The Gulf Air golden falcon has taken off from Copenhagen

 At 11.00 a.m. July 1, Gulf Air’s gold-painted Boeing 737 with the golden-falcon logo on the tail left Copenhagen Airport for Bahrain for the first time. The new route is opened in response to the significant growth in traffic to and from the Middle East and Asia out of Copenhagen.

It was a proud CEO of Copenhagen Airports who today inaugurated Gulf Air’s new service to Bahrain.

“Gulf Air’s new service reflects the potential at Copenhagen Airport and the massive growth potential of traffic to the Gulf States. Three of the region’s four major airlines, Gulf Air, Emirates and Qatar Airways, have now chosen Copenhagen as part of their route network, and that’s something we can be proud of,” said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports.

Copenhagen Airport has recorded substantial growth on the three new routes to Bahrain, Dubai and Doha. There were 915 seats per week to the Gulf States in January 2010, and there will be 3,987 seats from August this year, a growth rate of more than 300%.

      “Growth and accessibility are key factors for Denmark in the very intensive global competition. Each new route to Copenhagen strengthens trade and industry as well as tourism – and creates new jobs. This applies not least when we succeed in attracting intercontinental services such as the Gulf Air service to Bahrain,” said Thomas Woldbye.


Access to the largest network in the region
The service to Bahrain provides access to the largest network in the region with services to more than 50 destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe and more than 1,000 flights per week to key destinations in countries such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.
In the opinion of Karim Maklouf, Chief Commercial Officer at Gulf Air, connecting Copenhagen and Bahrain will increase the business and tourism potential in both countries.

“Copenhagen is the location of the regional headquarters of many international companies, and many Scandinavian companies are doing business in the Gulf region. We therefore see great potential in business travel to and from the region,” said Karim Maklouf.

“People are more interested than ever in making leisure trips to the Middle East and Asia, so the new service also holds great potential for us in relation to Scandinavians and people in the Baltic States using Copenhagen as a traffic hub. Gulf Air offers those passengers good connections, frequent departures and short transfer times,” said Karim Maklouf.


Facts:

  • Gulf Air is an international airline founded in Bahrain in 1950.
  • Gulf Air has the largest route network of the Middle East and operates more than 1,000 weekly flights to more than 50 destinations in 32 countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe with a fleet of 35 aircraft.
  • The Copenhagen-Bahrain route will have four weekly frequencies, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
  • The Copenhagen to Bahrain flights will leave Copenhagen at 11.00 a.m. and arrive in Bahrain at 18.15 p.m. The Bahrain to Copenhagen flights will leave Bahrain at 01.40 a.m. and arrive in Copenhagen at 7.40 a.m.