JEDDAH, 16 June 2003 — The inaugural flight of Gulf Traveler, the newly branded all-economy but full-service airline owned by Gulf Air, arrived in Jeddah yesterday from Abu Dhabi, a Gulf Air spokesman announced here.
The Gulf Air’s subsidiary, aimed at the regional expatriate and leisure market, is to serve routes already part of Gulf Air’s network, but where passenger demand exceeds capacity, including Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania, he said.
He added that Jeddah and other Arabian Peninsula cities also feature on the schedule. Gulf Traveler is operating out of Gulf Air’s base in Abu Dhabi using six single-class Boeing 767-300s.
It will operate regular flights from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah.
“The introduction of low cost or single-class carriers in the Middle East market is inevitable at some point in the future,” James Hogan, Gulf Air president and chief executive, told reporters in Abu Dhabi, an agency report said.
“Gulf Air is the shape of things to come,” he claimed.
He added that Gulf Air would fly to Baghdad as soon as the airport became operational and safety was assured.
“We’ve ongoing discussions with the US authorities about flying to Baghdad,” he said.
Facing crippling debts, Gulf Air’s owners — Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Oman — pumped in $238 million last year and launched a three-year restructuring plan.
Hogan said losses for 2002 had been limited to $111 million and predicted Gulf Air would halve losses in 2003 and break even next year.
Meanwhile, Gulf Air’s stunning new look — which includes striking new livery and interiors for its modern fleet of luxury jets and distinctive remodeling for lounges and check-in counters — is claimed to mark the beginning of a new era for the carrier.
