Gulf Air begins new flight to Addis

Jan 21, 2011

Gulf Air of Bahrain began a new flight to Addis Ababa City.

Airbus A320 was colorfully welcomed upon its arrival on Wednesday January 20, 2011 at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

The new flight enables to further strengthen the age-old relations between Ethiopia and Bahrain , Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air, Samer Majali said at the occasion.

The CEO said the flight also creates opportunities to further enhance bilateral development cooperation in the culture and trade sectors, among others, between the two countries.

The new flight to Addis Ababa City is the first in its history at the sub-Saharan countries, the Chief said, adding, it has a plan to use the City the main hub for further expansion of new flights to other African countries. Ethiopia is one of the major African countries where the flow of trade and tourism is growing from time to time. This is the reason to open the new flight, Majali said.

He said currently Gulf Air flies four times a week, he said, adding, it has set a plan to increase the number of flights as per the market demand. Gulf Air and Ethiopian Airlines have entered a code share agreement.

The Gulf Air flies to 50 destinations around the world and it carries over five million passengers per year.

The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Tewodros Dawit on his part said a number of internationally well-known airlines have requested Ethiopian to work together.

This indicates that the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport has become one of the leading airports in East Africa, unrivalled in Africa for efficiency and operational success.

The ongoing frontline operation made by the enterprise has enabled to earn more income and play a major role in image building activities, Tewodros said. The Enterprise already finalized preparations to undertake expansion work on the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport at a cost of 1.1 billion Birr. Upon completion of the expansion work the Airport will have a capacity to accommodate 44 airplanes at a time. Currently, it gives service to 19 aircrafts at a time, the Chief said.