Gulf Air Adds Three “Boutique” Destinations In Europe

As Gulf Air seeks to cultivate its image as a high-quality, boutique carrier, it is adding service to Milan, Munich, and Mykonos in 2020.

Gulf Air Service To Milan

In July 2020, Gulf Air will start year around daily service between Bahrain (BAH) and Milan (MXP) onboard its new Airbus A321neo aircraft. That aircraft features eight angled lie-flat seats in “Falcon Gold” business class and 161 in economy class. So-called “angled lie-flat” seats are technically not flat, but when the airplane is cruising at a slight upward angle, the seats give the impression of being flat.

Gulf served Milan until 2012, so this route is technically a resumption rather than a new route. The route will operate according to the following schedule:

GF023 dep BAH 1:25AM – arr MXP 6:55AM
GF022 dep MXP 11:35AM – arr BAH 6:10PM

Gulf Air Service To Munich

During the summer travel period from July to September, Gulf Air will offer 4x weekly service to Munich (MUC). This flight will operated by an Airbus A320, an aircraft I reviewed in business class here.

The route will operate according to the schedule below:

GF030 dep BAH 1:30AM – arr MUC 6:35AM MUC
GF029 dep MUC 12:40PM – arr BAH 7:25BAH

Gulf Air Service To Mykonos

During the summer travel period from July to September, Gulf Air will offer 3x weekly service to Mykonos (JMK). This flight will operated by an Airbus A320. Interestingly, the flight will make a stop in Athens (ATH) on the way back from JMK, though Gulf Air is not selling tickets Mykonos to Athens as a stand-alone ticket.

The route will operate according to the schedule below:

GF035 dep BAH 1:25AM – arr JMK 5:40AM (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
GF035 dep BAH 9:40AM – arr JMK 1:55PM (Saturday)

GF036 dep JMK 6:40AM – arr ATH 7:25AM // dep ATH 8:25AM – arr BAH 12:35 (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
GF036 dep JMK 2:55PM – arr ATH 3:40PM // dep ATH 4:40PM – arr BAH 8:50PM (Saturday)

With the stop in Athens for the new Mykonos flight, Gulf Air will offer service to Athens five days per week.

Malaga + Salalah Returns

Finally, Gulf Air will return to Malaga, Spain and Salalah, Oman in 2020. As reported Air Transport World:

Salalah, in the southwest of the sultanate, catches the edge of the Indian Ocean monsoon and is an increasingly popular destination for residents of the Gulf states, who enjoy the mists, drizzle and 20C temperatures brought by the monsoon at a time when the rest of the Arabian Peninsula is well above 40C.

It’s a destination I’d love to check out with my family.

More Longhaul Routes To Come

Gulf Air CEO Krešimir Kučko said:

Gulf Air’s network is designed for our customers giving them a choice to travel to/from Bahrain or to a number of destinations connecting through Bahrain.

Focal and balanced expansion into Europe for 2020 is aimed to support the strong infrastructure in tourism and trade. Milan and Munich … are very popular to our worldwide customer base for leisure and business travel. Mykonos will also be a great boutique seasonal summer destination in Greece.

As our fleet expands and with the arrival of our new Airbus A321neo and more Dreamliners next year, we can now reach further places and serve more long-haul regions.

Could a route to New York be in the works? Unlikely.

CONCLUSION

I have yet to try the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner between London and Bahrain on Gulf Air. That is coming in 2020. But it is nice to see Gulf Air expand in Europe a bit. As Etihad and other Gulf carriers face financial turmoil after years of rapid expansion, Gulf Air is taking a more disciplined approach to growth.

image: Airbus