- JEDDAH: Bahrain Air, Bahrain's first privately owned low priced airline and second flag carrier, will start operating four flights a week to Dammam from June, Majeed Maarij, regional manager of the airline for the GCC, Yemen and Iran, said at a road show in Jeddah on Monday night.
- The carrier operates services to Jeddah daily and six times a week to Riyadh.
The carrier, which began with its first flight to Dubai on Feb. 2, 2007, now serves 21 destinations, including Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh, and a number of airports in India. It will add Istanbul and Shiraz, Iran, to its network from June 20. "There is also a proposal to introduce flights to Manila by the end of the year," he said.
"We are not a low cost carrier, but an affordable one," Maarij said, adding that it was able to keep its cost low by keeping its profit margin down from 10 percent to seven percent. "What's more, our fair structure is 40 percent less compared to other airlines," he said.
"You can get a better deal in fares if you book early. With us, you can change bookings, and we also make your fares refundable if you are not able to travel due to valid reasons," he said.
The carrier, with Bahrain International Airport as its main base, uses six of the most modern A320 and A319 aircraft.