and news from yesterday(19/1)
In the UAE Gulf News(20/1):
Gulf Air said yesterday it was set to double its fleet of 30 aircraft.
The national carrier of Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Oman is negotiating with a number of airframe manufactures to meet its mainline service aircraft requirements for the next 10 years, company president and chief executive, James Hogan, said here yesterday.
"As we grow we will naturally also expand our fleet," he added pointing out that a delegation from Airbus will visit Bahrain to finalise the discussions. Also, talks are under way with Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier to discuss requirements for the next 10 years.
"We aim to return to destinations previously served and introduce new ones again on a commercial basis," he said.
Hogan said Gulf Air was also talking to a number of leading alliances, including Star and One World and a decision on joining one or the other can be expected in the first half the year.
Hogan said last week the debt-ridden airline has "kicked off the year in a buoyant mood as it cut eight million Bahraini dinar losses in six months."
The airline's strategy, he noted, aimed to reduce the amounts it owed to its owner-states to 20 million dinar by the year-end and break even by 2004, achieving a 5 million dinar profit during 2005.
The board had agreed at a meeting late last year to inject more than 90 million dinar into the airline for 2003. Gulf Air is expected to announce a total loss of around 38 million dinar for the year 2002. Last year, it lost 52.2 million dinar.
Earlier, addressing Gulf Air's 'Worldwide Sales and Marketing Conference', in Manama, Hogan told more than 200 sales and marketing personnel from across Gulf Air's network, that there was "nothing stopping Gulf Air from regaining its position as a world class airline".
Under the theme "Winning", he briefed participants in detail on the outcome of the board meeting held in December, at which the three-year recovery plan was unanimously endorsed.
"The board gave us exactly what we asked for," Hogan said. "Now its up to everyone in Gulf Air to work together as a team to ensure its implementation and the success of a mandate to run the airline on a commercial basis.
"2003 will witness one of the biggest, most creative and most exciting campaigns in Gulf Air's history to consolidate on what we have achieved so quickly in the second half of 2002," said John Butler, vice-president, sales and marketing."