GF down to one owner soon?
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GF down to one owner soon?
Just posted on the ATW website. Can't imagine Oman will stay with GF once the expansion takes place.
Oman Air to pursue long-haul expansion
Tuesday December 12, 2006
Oman Air management presented a five-year business plan that includes expansion into long-haul services to its board and the country's Ministry of National Economy, according to CEO Ziad Karim Al-Haremi.
"We're looking to develop a network spanning 42 destinations, of which 11 [would be] long-haul," he told ATWOnline in Kuwait recently, adding that the carrier is aiming to commence its first long-haul flights in fall 2008.
Oman Air plans to introduce three long-haul aircraft into its fleet in 2008 and an additional two in 2009. "We're seeking aircraft with 230/240-seat capacity, which leaves us initially only with the A330 and in a later stage maybe the 787 when it comes," noted Al-Haremi, who was appointed acting CEO in September 2005 and confirmed as permanent CEO in October. According to insiders, the carrier also is considering the 767-300ER or dash 400ER. Its first long-haul aircraft will be leased.
Al-Haremi said long-haul destinations could include London, Paris, Stockholm, Zurich, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok for outbound traffic. The airline, in which the Oman government holds a 34% stake, presently operates 10 aircraft: Three 737-700s, three dash 800s and four ATRs. It will phase out two ATRs by the end of 2008. It is scheduled to receive two new 737-800s in May 2007 and March 2008 and recently decided to take in an additional dash 800 next year. "We will lease the latter," he said. "We need it to support our rapid growth."
The carrier recently launched thrice-weekly service from its Muscat hub to Amman. In May it will commence flights to Damascus and Teheran and in June it will add two new points in India and increase frequencies to its existing Indian destinations under a new bilateral between India and Oman.
Oman Air carried 931,753 passengers in the first nine months of the year, up 10% over the previous year, with a load factor of 75%.
Tuesday December 12, 2006
Oman Air management presented a five-year business plan that includes expansion into long-haul services to its board and the country's Ministry of National Economy, according to CEO Ziad Karim Al-Haremi.
"We're looking to develop a network spanning 42 destinations, of which 11 [would be] long-haul," he told ATWOnline in Kuwait recently, adding that the carrier is aiming to commence its first long-haul flights in fall 2008.
Oman Air plans to introduce three long-haul aircraft into its fleet in 2008 and an additional two in 2009. "We're seeking aircraft with 230/240-seat capacity, which leaves us initially only with the A330 and in a later stage maybe the 787 when it comes," noted Al-Haremi, who was appointed acting CEO in September 2005 and confirmed as permanent CEO in October. According to insiders, the carrier also is considering the 767-300ER or dash 400ER. Its first long-haul aircraft will be leased.
Al-Haremi said long-haul destinations could include London, Paris, Stockholm, Zurich, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok for outbound traffic. The airline, in which the Oman government holds a 34% stake, presently operates 10 aircraft: Three 737-700s, three dash 800s and four ATRs. It will phase out two ATRs by the end of 2008. It is scheduled to receive two new 737-800s in May 2007 and March 2008 and recently decided to take in an additional dash 800 next year. "We will lease the latter," he said. "We need it to support our rapid growth."
The carrier recently launched thrice-weekly service from its Muscat hub to Amman. In May it will commence flights to Damascus and Teheran and in June it will add two new points in India and increase frequencies to its existing Indian destinations under a new bilateral between India and Oman.
Oman Air carried 931,753 passengers in the first nine months of the year, up 10% over the previous year, with a load factor of 75%.
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It would be nice if the Omani Government put money into Oman Air for a change, interesting to see how long GF would last without the handouts.
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For BAH to be able to manage GF it would need to be seriously restructured and downsized, just imagine what effect would that have on the BAH economy...the whole place just about lives off GF.
Cant personally see Oman having the need for a big long haul airline, but hey this is the Gulf!!
Cant personally see Oman having the need for a big long haul airline, but hey this is the Gulf!!
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I am personally not sure how WY is going to make this work. Aircraft cost a bundle these days and it will have to compete with the likes of QR and EY who have very low yields.
I do agree that one hub could be more efficient, the problem is going to be how to divide up the aircraft and bilaterals. BAH could lose a bundle of traffic rights and this would mean the airline will have to be downsized.
I do agree that one hub could be more efficient, the problem is going to be how to divide up the aircraft and bilaterals. BAH could lose a bundle of traffic rights and this would mean the airline will have to be downsized.
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BluePacific:
GF would last a very long time! Operating costs down immediately, salary base-line reduced and HDQ productivity up 50% the day after all the non-flying Omani nationals are repatriated.
GF would last a very long time! Operating costs down immediately, salary base-line reduced and HDQ productivity up 50% the day after all the non-flying Omani nationals are repatriated.
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Well
Lets put it this way Gf WY etc we are all just Air India, Pakistan,Bangladesh Mid East LTD
Oman is richer than Bahrain and has a population
Not much but far bigger than Bahrain
Yes MCT needs an overhaul as an airport
Sorry but i reckon if/when a split happens
GF will become a considerably smaller airline than it is now
The "BROTHERHOOD" ceased quite a while ago
I've done my quarter century thinK it might be time for a fresher sandpit
S.L.
Lets put it this way Gf WY etc we are all just Air India, Pakistan,Bangladesh Mid East LTD
Oman is richer than Bahrain and has a population
Not much but far bigger than Bahrain
Yes MCT needs an overhaul as an airport
Sorry but i reckon if/when a split happens
GF will become a considerably smaller airline than it is now
The "BROTHERHOOD" ceased quite a while ago
I've done my quarter century thinK it might be time for a fresher sandpit
S.L.
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Bahrain may not be as rich as Oman (alhtough that may not be a true statement but never mind) but it does have something that Oman lacks: The causway linking it to the Eastern Province.
On any given GF flight I would venture to guess that the majority of the high yield PAX are Eastern Province residents (expats and locals).
I don't see much of a hit on their revenue if they consolidate all their operations to Bahrain (which is esentialy the case already).
On any given GF flight I would venture to guess that the majority of the high yield PAX are Eastern Province residents (expats and locals).
I don't see much of a hit on their revenue if they consolidate all their operations to Bahrain (which is esentialy the case already).
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Speedbrake
Sorry to burst your bubble mate but Bahrain is ranked 43rd highest GDP per capita over Oman coming in at 72nd in the CIA world fact book. Its just that the countries income has possibly been put to better use in Oman.
Like I say, this was all put to press years ago when I was in Oman and word was quite strong that it was to come to fruition, at least 5 years now down the track or more and another press statement with the same grand plan....
Still, another airline expansion in the region won't do us any harm, I mean we are coping so well with the current levels of traffic and airline operations in the region, all thanks to the amazing foresight and planning of ME management........not!
Like I say, this was all put to press years ago when I was in Oman and word was quite strong that it was to come to fruition, at least 5 years now down the track or more and another press statement with the same grand plan....
Still, another airline expansion in the region won't do us any harm, I mean we are coping so well with the current levels of traffic and airline operations in the region, all thanks to the amazing foresight and planning of ME management........not!
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I recon that the best thing that could happen for Gulf Air is if the WTO and the EU forced the issue on subsidies. Of all the airlines in the region, Gulf Air has some way to go, but compared to other local carriers (with the exception of LCC's) is probably the most advanced as far as operating like an independent, cost-effective airline operating under real-world economics.
World Trade Organization focuses on subsidies
World Trade Organization focuses on subsidies
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The sooner the spilt occurs between the two owners the better.At least the moaning will stop and the real thief will be disguised.The only thing i'll be sorry for ,is the cut down of jobs and the release of all the hard working employees.........This is only if the news is valid 
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... but compared to other local carriers (with the exception of LCC's) is probably the most advanced as far as operating like an independent, cost-effective airline operating under real-world economics.
The sooner the spilt occurs between the two owners the better...
Bahrain and Oman relevant air transport officials could still put their heads together if they were grown ups. BAH would become the hub and spoke for the West and MCT for the East. They could easily fly BAH-DOH-MCT-DOH-BAH or BAH-DXB-MCT-DXB-BAH and BAH-AUH-MCT-AUH-BAH with full traffic rights (with those multiple coupons removed at the gates) with the shorter range aircraft to feed the international flights in either direction and still ensuring the royals and vvips get their non-stop flights to London
. But, I don't think this is going to happen unless GF and all the other players went fully private in an open skies policy across the region 
. Not in my days here...But then why wait? Split now
since the mood is there. GF (and Bahrain) will lose initially. They'll have to downsize with the immediate consequences for staff, but they'll be able to gain the reigns of their own and keep a better cost-control and commercial vision. WY (and Oman) will gain much more. If unprepared for it, they will have teething problems endemic to the region.It is unthinkable to have an airline like GF without a CEO for such a long time. GF may say they are not a rudderless aeroplane since they have an acting... CEO, but this has gone too long with this "acting".
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Why would GF have to downsize - other than a lack if will/money from the Bahrain gov't!!!!????????
Redeploy the fleet to prfitable routes. (In fact they could still serve MCT, as a stop, enroute to the destinations they currently fly). If GF wants to be a niche player that's fine but they have to have a route network that will attract and keep pax - especially the high paying biz and first class traffic. That means adding at least 2 Chinese destinations and additional European routes (lots of choice - Amsterdam, Munich, Manchester, Milan, Copenhagen etc etc etc). IntraGulf is busy and they dropped good routes like Columbo and Casablanca (so that the competition could take them
) Some African routes are also busy.
I think GF could do with a fleet of 50 aircraft and do well. Hell, I think upwards of 60-70 could be done - deploying into enough markets to be a key niche player. Let the others expand to 200 a/c.
PS. How about code sharing with Air Lingus out of Dublin - some connect to New York with AL and GF could continue to Toronto. With the cross atlantic demand at a peak and a lack of seats.....................
Redeploy the fleet to prfitable routes. (In fact they could still serve MCT, as a stop, enroute to the destinations they currently fly). If GF wants to be a niche player that's fine but they have to have a route network that will attract and keep pax - especially the high paying biz and first class traffic. That means adding at least 2 Chinese destinations and additional European routes (lots of choice - Amsterdam, Munich, Manchester, Milan, Copenhagen etc etc etc). IntraGulf is busy and they dropped good routes like Columbo and Casablanca (so that the competition could take them
) Some African routes are also busy.I think GF could do with a fleet of 50 aircraft and do well. Hell, I think upwards of 60-70 could be done - deploying into enough markets to be a key niche player. Let the others expand to 200 a/c.
PS. How about code sharing with Air Lingus out of Dublin - some connect to New York with AL and GF could continue to Toronto. With the cross atlantic demand at a peak and a lack of seats.....................
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A lack of seats on the Trans-atlantic, not the case, with thousands of flights making the cross every 24 hrs. What they need is a codeshare and not deployment of their own fleet. In my opnion that's how an Airline's network is built.
Codeshares don't come easy these days though. Northwest made it conditional that all airlines on codeshare with them have a sizeable e-ticketing set up by Jan'07 otherwise they won't renew. Watch the other carriers like AA follow suite. In the mideast this is an all new concept and emirates (56%, my guess is coz of transits) is the leader at the moment, Gulf Air falls far behind at less than 5% on their international routes and only 13% (majority staff related) on their intergulf structure. There is something to be said about e ticketing. People are not used to it out in the mideast. Its like asking someone to pay by credit card when all they have is cash. To some, they need the evidence that they purchased something and a printout just won't cut it.
Furthermore, Apparently GF was loosing about $1 million a month on their New york route when they had one, Flights were full but the price wasn't meeting their cost. Money in the cofines will determine what backbone strategy they might cough up when time comes. Something tells me there is not much of a backbone let alone a head at the pink palace. Some direction is much needed. With the engines at idle or out of fuel, there is not much altitude to gain before u get into a stall..............
Codeshares don't come easy these days though. Northwest made it conditional that all airlines on codeshare with them have a sizeable e-ticketing set up by Jan'07 otherwise they won't renew. Watch the other carriers like AA follow suite. In the mideast this is an all new concept and emirates (56%, my guess is coz of transits) is the leader at the moment, Gulf Air falls far behind at less than 5% on their international routes and only 13% (majority staff related) on their intergulf structure. There is something to be said about e ticketing. People are not used to it out in the mideast. Its like asking someone to pay by credit card when all they have is cash. To some, they need the evidence that they purchased something and a printout just won't cut it.
Furthermore, Apparently GF was loosing about $1 million a month on their New york route when they had one, Flights were full but the price wasn't meeting their cost. Money in the cofines will determine what backbone strategy they might cough up when time comes. Something tells me there is not much of a backbone let alone a head at the pink palace. Some direction is much needed. With the engines at idle or out of fuel, there is not much altitude to gain before u get into a stall..............
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Ready or not . . .
Well, whether Middle Easterners like it or not, they will enjoy not more than 12 more months of papertickets. IATA has mandated to all of it's members a target date of December 31, 2007, to go fully paperless airline tickets.
Last edited by Panama Jack; 14th Dec 2006 at 23:38.
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OK, I didn't know that. . . in any case . . .
I've personally always favored when airlines offer the option and pass along the cost to the consumer (possibly making even a small profit from it). For many, money talks and provides an incentive to change. Not unlike what banks have done, driving out consumers from their teller-staff and into the warm arms of ATM's and Internet Banking.
I've personally always favored when airlines offer the option and pass along the cost to the consumer (possibly making even a small profit from it). For many, money talks and provides an incentive to change. Not unlike what banks have done, driving out consumers from their teller-staff and into the warm arms of ATM's and Internet Banking.