Troubled Middle Eastern airline Gulf Air is awaiting confirmation from two of its shareholders that they will provide extra cash to help rescue the carrier following a downturn in business since 11 September. The governments of both Qatar and Oman failed to respond by a 30 April deadline set by the Gulf Air board for an emergency cash injection of $258 million. The other two major shareholders, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, have already agreed support.
Abu Dhabi and Bahrain are the main hubs for Gulf Air - the region's oldest airline - and have provided the most financial support for the airline's growth. Over the past decade, Oman Air and Qatar Airways have developed as national carriers for the other two shareholders, and analysts in the region believe there is greater government support for these carriers than for Gulf Air.
Bahrain's prime minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa has been quoted by official news agency BNA as being firmly committed to the survival of Gulf Air. He told the Bahrain cabinet on 28 April that the carrier represented "a symbol of co-operation and solidarity among member states of the Gulf Co-operation Council", which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The carrier has already had a $160 million cash bail-out from the shareholders since 11 September, and has called in consultants Simat Helliesen & Eichner to look at cost-cutting and restructuring. Local sources say that almost 500 staff will be laid off as part of the proposed changes, although Gulf Air will not confirm this.
(FlightInternational, 7 May 2002)
