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Gulf Air Head of Cargo Des Vertannes will head a team to the bi-annual event carrying a strong message about Gulf Air’s heritage, experience and its current ambition to be a major player in the industry.

‘Gulf Air can boast more than 55 years experience in flying cargo throughout the Middle East region and across the world - more than many of its regional competitors combined,’ says Vertannes.

‘The drive and ambition to innovate and provide the highest levels of customer service are stronger than ever.

‘We will be delivering several key messages to attendees at this event foremost among which will be Gulf Air’s unmatched Middle East network,’ he adds.

‘In addition we will promote our new road feeder services from Muscat to the UAE and from Bahrain to Dammam, Saudi Arabia and new enhancements to our e-commerce offering.’

Vertannes is very bullish about the future of the cargo business in the Middle East and Gulf Air’s ability to grow its business.

‘The Middle East is no different to other parts of the world when it comes to the outlook for cargo,’ he says. ‘The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts growth of five to six per cent annually, which is far rosier than the passenger forecasts.’

Freight traffic witnessed double digit growth of 19.9. per cent last year, according to the latest figures from IATA. Freight demand has also grown at a higher rate than the freight capacity in 2005.

Many of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states are reaping the benefits of high oil prices and experiencing a boom in development. This can only bode well for cargo traffic in and out of the region.

TIACA’s biennial International Air Cargo Forum and Exposition, which rotates between Europe, North America and Asia, is the premier air cargo industry event, where air cargo decision-makers from around world gather to address current industry challenges and opportunities.
Attendees include representatives from the air cargo logistics industry including: airlines, forwarders, airports, ground handlers, all-cargo carriers, motor carriers, customs brokers, logistics, integrators, shippers, multimodal, customs and educational institutions.

Gulf Air has produced a record number of over 1 million passengers till June 2006 following the airline’s introduction of Muscat as part of its two-hub strategy.
There was a 30.1 per cent increase with 1,137,482 travellers through Muscat till June as compared to the same period last year.
Bahrain, which is the other hub of Gulf Air, also saw an increase of 32.3 per cent passenger traffic with 2,181,227 travellers as compared to last year.
“In our original estimates, we thought Gulf Air’s passenger traffic through Oman would grow by around 25 per cent,” said airline President and Chief Executive James Hogan.
“But in fact the numbers have jumped by a third for the first six months of the year,” James said in a statement here.
“In the first quarter, we recorded a growth of 20.6 and 24.1 per cent respectively. However, when the full impact of the two-hub model came into effect with the summer schedule in the second quarter, the growth increased to 39 per cent in Oman and 41.3 per cent in Bahrain.
“Few airports in the world could handle year-on-year growth of even half that level. It is a testimony to the hard work and efficiency of airport management, staff and catering companies, Oman airport services and Bahrain airport services at Seeb and Bahrain airports respectively.”
Since the introduction of the two-hub strategy, the number of direct non-stop Gulf Air flights to and from Seeb International Airport has increased by 45.5 per cent over last year and the airline now accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the passengers at the airport.
“We have started to see significant trends coming from our two-hub operation, in terms of crewing, aircraft utilisation and network connections with the full impact becoming apparent in April, following the introduction of the summer schedule. Overall we expect a positive impact on our services this year as a result,” said James.
“While some challenges and uncertainties remain in 2006, notably fuel costs, I believe we have a sound basis for continued positive development in the future,” he stated further.
Meanwhile flights to and from Bahrain International Airport have increased by 41.9 per cent over last year and the airline now accounts for 70 per cent of the activity at Bahrain International Airport.
“Summer is our peak period. Our normal operations increase significantly to accommodate all the holiday traffic,” said James.
“This year, we have also had to cope with the knock-on effects of the crisis in Lebanon, which has placed additional pressure on our routine operations,” James added.
Founded in 1950, Gulf Air, owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, is the only truly Pan Gulf carrier in the Middle East region.
The regional, geographic and cultural values that the airline has embraced over more than half a century are still central to defining its brand and service ethos.
The airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 46 cities in 32 countries. The fleet comprises 34 aircraft and has the distinct advantage of possessing the strongest network across the Middle East.

Gulf Air’s adoption of a two hub strategy has had a major impact on passenger figures for Seeb International Airport, reported the Oman Daily Observer. Passenger numbers are up by 30.1% for H1, when compared to last year. More than 1.1m travellers have passed through the airport so far this year, with Gulf Air now providing almost 60% of all passengers at the airport.

The increase in Gulf Air flights to and from Oman and Bahrain following the airline’s introduction of a two-hub strategy earlier this year has produced record passenger numbers at both the airline’s hubs.

Releasing passenger figures for the year till June 2006, Gulf Air announced a 30.1 per cent increase to 1,137,482 travellers through Muscat, and a 32.3 per cent increase to 2,181,227 travellers through Bahrain compared to last year.

‘In our original estimates, we thought Gulf Air’s passenger traffic through Oman would grow by around 25 per cent,’ said airline President and Chief Executive James Hogan. ‘But in fact the numbers have jumped by a third for the first six months of the year.

‘In the first quarter we recorded growth of 20.6 and 24.1 per cent respectively. However, when the full impact of the two hub model came into effect with the summer schedule in the second quarter, the growth increased to 39.0 per cent in Oman and 41.3 per cent in Bahrain.

‘Few airports in the world could handle year-on-year growth of even half that level. It is testament to the hard work and efficiency of airport management, staff and catering companies Oman Airport Services and Bahrain Airport Services that Seeb and Bahrain airports have stepped up to the challenge so smoothly.”

‘We have started to see significant trends coming from our two-hub operation, in terms of crewing, aircraft utilisation and network connections with the full impact becoming apparent in April, following the introduction of the summer schedule. Overall we expect a positive impact on our services this year as a result.

‘While some challenges and uncertainties remain in 2006, notably fuel costs, I believe we have a sound basis for continued positive development in the future.’

Since the introduction of the two hub strategy, the number of direct non-stop Gulf Air flights to and from Seeb International Airport has increased by 45.5 per cent over last year and the airline now accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the passengers at the airport.

Meanwhile flights to and from Bahrain International Airport have increased by 41.9 per cent over last year and the airline now accounts for 70 per cent of the activity at Bahrain International Airport.

‘Summer is our peak period. Our normal operations increase significantly to accommodate all the holiday traffic,’ said Hogan.

‘This year, we have also had to cope with the knock-on effects of the crisis in Lebanon, which has placed additional pressure on our routine operations.

Performance indicators for the period January to June 2006

• Seat factor up by 1.7 percentage points to 71.3 per cent

• Premium cabin revenues up by 17.1 per cent

• Gross unit revenue up 6.5 per cent

• 32.3 per cent increase in passengers through Bahrain; 30.1 per cent increase in passengers through Muscat

Gulf Air and Malaysia Airlines entered a code-sharing agreement opening up routes and services to each other in their respective networks effective September 18.

The agreement allows Malaysia Airlines to market seats under its code on Gulf Air flights between Kuala Lumpur bound for Bahrain and Oman.

“Code-sharing enables travellers to enjoy a seamless product, as a single airline supervises the passenger’s entire journey,” says Gulf Air President and chief executive James Hogan.

According to Malaysian officials, around 147,646 Gulf tourists visited Malaysia last year, up from 123,000 in 2004.