Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted April 22, 2007 Maintenance in Bahrain is very so-so la... Not only that, but GAMCO also had a hangar fire (like SN last year in BRU) last week 1 A319 of Air Mauritius, 1 A320 of Kingfisher and 1 A300 of Qatar were damaged So, I guess, they've a maintenance capacity problem right now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seng Lim 0 Report post Posted April 23, 2007 Article and pictures of the GAMCO hanger fire. Apparently the fire started from QR A300 cabin. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/...ire-at-abu.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted July 24, 2007 Gulf Air CEO Dose resigns; chairman says carrier under 'criminal investigation' Tuesday July 24, 2007 Gulf Air's board of directors yesterday accepted the resignation of CEO Andre Dose, effective immediately, ending the former Crossair and Swiss International Air Lines CEO's tenure less than four months after he joined the Bahrain-based carrier and unveiled a major restructuring program. The sudden resignation came just days after Gulf Air Chairman Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji confirmed that the airline is being investigated by Bahrain prosecutors. Speaking last week to Gulf Daily News, Kooheji said, "There is a criminal investigation from the public prosecutor and we have been advised not to make any comment or talk about the case." He added that he had told all airline employees, "Guys this is a public prosecution investigation; I want everybody to shut up." It is not clear if the probe and Dose's resignation are related. The Gulf Air board gave no explanation for the CEO's departure, saying in a statement issued yesterday that "it has been mutually agreed" he would leave the company. It "thanked" Dose for "his assistance" and said the restructuring program he initiated would move forward. "The board is highly optimistic and trusts that the company will have a promising future, especially after the implementation of the company's network optimization and restructuring plan," the statement said. Dose became Gulf Air's CEO in early April and later that month admitted the carrier was losing more than $1 million daily. He initiated an extensive restructuring that calls for a transition from a mixed fleet of 34 aircraft to an all-Airbus fleet comprising 28 aircraft focused mostly on serving the Middle East. "We have tough times ahead of us," he said when he announced the program. "But we need these measures to ensure survival of the company." The airline said the modernization was being funded by an $825 million infusion from its owners, the governments of Bahrain and Oman. However, Oman has signed a letter of intent to withdraw its holding later this year, leaving Bahrain as the sole owner. In yesterday's statement, Gulf Air's board said it had developed and approved a plan that would "ensure transparency and adherence to the rules and regulations of the Kingdom of Bahrain." It added that the airline would be overseen by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Co., a government-controlled entity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flee 5 Report post Posted June 22, 2009 Middle Eastern carrier Gulf Air is intending to lease out two of its Airbus A340s under a long-term arrangement, although it has yet to secure a taker. Gulf Air chief executive Bjorn Naf disclosed the plan during a briefing at the Paris Air Show. He says the carrier, which has been planning to phase out its A340 fleet, is "looking at leasing out two units" and is "optimistic" of identifying a "long-term" lessee soon. Gulf Air is still intending to phase out the A340s - of which it has nine - but it has reconsidered its plans to lease Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. It plans to return all the 777s to India's Jet Airways by about October, having opted not to pursue a dry-lease. Naf tells Flightglobal sister publication Air Transport Intelligence that the A340s are "still fit for purpose" but admits that the impact of the economic slowdown over the past few months has forced the carrier to be flexible with its plans. "We couldn't afford to go to dry-lease on such a big ship," he says, referring to the 777s and adding that Gulf Air could not allow itself to be "too proud" to return the twin-jets as the business case changed. Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/...-two-a340s.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted October 25, 2009 Gulf Air Union To Protest Management Pay Increase October 22, 2009 The union at Bahrain's Gulf Air is calling on members and employees of the loss-making carrier to start action to protest against pay rises for senior management amid planned lay-offs, a union official said. Union head Mustafa al-Tooq said a sit-in was planned at company headquarters on November 5. "After the sit-in we will proceed with strike preparations," Tooq said, adding that strike could come two months later. Any escalation in the conflict between management and unions could burden the restructuring process under the new chief executive Samer Majali. Three chief executives have tried to turn around Gulf Air since 2002, cutting jobs and realigning its network as previous shareholders Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Oman exited the ailing carrier. Tooq said unions were protesting recent pay rises for senior management and "disrespect" of management towards unions during restructuring. He said management had never seriously responded to workers' demands to negotiate a 2008 increase in working hours to 8.5 hours per day from 8 hours. "The Gulf Air trade union is an important partner within this process with whom we engage on a regular basis," Gulf Air said in a statement. It did not comment on the pay increases and other union complaints. Unions have said Gulf Air plans to lay off 272 employees by the end of the year, with management saying it only planned to cut positions through natural attrition and fire employees for misconduct. Majali said in August the carrier might renegotiate plane orders with Airbus and Boeing. (Reuters) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted May 10, 2010 Gulf Air Cut 500 Jobs In Past Six Months May 10, 2010 Bahrain's state-owned carrier Gulf Air has cut over 500 staff positions in the past six months, its chief executive said on Monday. The positions were cut through a combination of letting temporary contracts expire, an extensive recruitment freeze and natural attrition, Samer Majali said. "We have cut down our overall costs by 3 percent in the first quarter. We have also reduced our overall staff strength by over 500 in the last six months...", Majali said. Bahrain is a small oil producer that, unlike other states in the region, can not afford to plough large funds into its publicly owned companies such as Gulf Air. These are also the country's largest employers, and lay-offs in particular of nationals have been a contentious issue, with Gulf Air employees protesting the job cuts last November. Gulf Air also said over the weekend it had introduced a voluntary redundancy and retirement scheme. Bahraini employees and nationals of former owner states who sign up for the scheme will receive three months' salary, plus one month's pay for every year with the company and such benefits as medical insurance coverage into 2011. Mustafa al-Tooq, head of the Gulf Air trade unions, said the union was satisfied with the agreement. "We're happy with it... this has completely changed the situation," he said. Loss-making Gulf Air was established as a regional airline but has struggled to find its niche after previous shareholders Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar gave up their stakes, partly to establish their own national carriers. Under CEO Majali, who took the job in August last year, the carrier has closed loss-making routes and is shifting its fleet to narrow-body planes and regional jets to focus on shorter routes. (Reuters) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alif A. F. 0 Report post Posted May 11, 2010 A bit of managerial history - Tim Clark used to work with Gulf Air before being poached by Emirates... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aaronhiew 0 Report post Posted May 11, 2010 Well sad to hear that, hope they'll be fine soon after this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Y. J. Foo 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2012 Gulf Air to Stop Flights to 4 Cities for Commercial Reasons By Donna Abu-Nasr - Feb 14, 2012 5:45 PM GMT+0800 Gulf Air, Bahrain’s state-owned carrier, is planning to stop flights to Damascus, Athens, Milan and Kuala Lumpur as the routes were underperforming, the airline said in an e-mailed statement. “These closures are pragmatic commercial decisions aimed at focusing services on routes with higher passenger traffic,” Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali said in the statement. Services to Damascus will stop from March 2 while flights to Athens and Milan will be halted from March 12. The Kuala Lumpur service will cease on March 25, said the statement. The airline is seeking to address economic challenges, including concern about local and regional political stability as well as the high price of fuel and low passenger numbers. “The decision has been taken to allow the airline to use its fleet and resources in the most efficient way by concentrating on high-demand, high-yield routes to ensure that its core customer base is served effectively,” the statement said. One less airline in KUL... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
affendi osman 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2012 so long GF.... sad to see you go! no more golden falcon after this! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wilson Kook 0 Report post Posted February 15, 2012 Well. No more direct flights to Bahrain. Gotta opt for Dubai or Abu Dhabi and then make a short hop over lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JuliusWong 0 Report post Posted April 30, 2012 (edited) Gulf Air has introduced new seating for its short haul fleet: both J and Y class were redone with amazing hardwares. The refurbishment started with the delivery of its new A321. Refurbishment on A320s has completed. For pictures, you may refer to http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/ Not sure if Embraer fleet will get the refurbishment. Certainly the A330 fleet will get better new long haul refurbishment, A340 may not get it as they are leaving the fleet. Edited April 30, 2012 by JuliusWong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lionel 0 Report post Posted April 30, 2012 nice~the business class seat just look like MH A330 business class seat... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 This should be what MH have on its 738s if it was using those planes to go as far as Mumbai, Perth, Haneda etc. Then it is real premium. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lionel 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 This should be what MH have on its 738s if it was using those planes to go as far as Mumbai, Perth, Haneda etc. Then it is real premium. True! the MH738 Business class really not premium with the price paid...hai~~~what happen to MH??!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Josh T 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 That's what I've been saying all along! If MH wants to be a premium carrier competing with SQ and CX on regional routes using the B738, then they need to use angled lie-flat seats on their B738s!!! They can just have 3 rows in business class rather than the current 4 and the seat pitch in economy needs to be increased to 32". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lionel 0 Report post Posted May 2, 2012 That's what I've been saying all along! If MH wants to be a premium carrier competing with SQ and CX on regional routes using the B738, then they need to use angled lie-flat seats on their B738s!!! They can just have 3 rows in business class rather than the current 4 and the seat pitch in economy needs to be increased to 32". wait long long.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd Azizul Ramli 2 Report post Posted May 7, 2012 Really a pleasant surprise from an ailing airline. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nrazmoor 0 Report post Posted May 7, 2012 That's what I've been saying all along! If MH wants to be a premium carrier competing with SQ and CX on regional routes using the B738, then they need to use angled lie-flat seats on their B738s!!! They can just have 3 rows in business class rather than the current 4 and the seat pitch in economy needs to be increased to 32". i read it somewhere that it actually more cost efficient if you just have a so-so product but promote it as being the best in its class rather than you actually have it. Sounds stupid but its kind of true... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BC Tam 2 Report post Posted May 7, 2012 i read it somewhere that it actually more cost efficient if you just have a so-so product but promote it as being the best in its class rather than you actually have it. Sounds stupid but its kind of true... Doesn't sound one bit stupid to me - in fact it's brilliant, provided you have capable marketing spinners to handle it Btw, isn't that what Proton has been doing all this while ? Though I hesitate to associate the term 'cost efficient' with our national car maker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azman MN 1 Report post Posted May 11, 2012 Doesn't sound one bit stupid to me - in fact it's brilliant, provided you have capable marketing spinners to handle it Btw, isn't that what Proton has been doing all this while ? Though I hesitate to associate the term 'cost efficient' with our national car maker Not just proton... Emirates used to do that in the early days. Promote its fantastic cabins, but 90% of the time you will only get to fly their old cabins which have not been refurbished... 10 years ago I always hear people say "I heard Emirates is really good". But ask them if they have actually flown Emirates, no... no one has... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shazmiey 0 Report post Posted May 11, 2012 That's what I've been saying all along! If MH wants to be a premium carrier competing with SQ and CX on regional routes using the B738, then they need to use angled lie-flat seats on their B738s!!! They can just have 3 rows in business class rather than the current 4 and the seat pitch in economy needs to be increased to 32". sorry to say but MAS top management never try to hear our voice., that is what GLC doing..shock sendiri.. so sad ohh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JuliusWong 0 Report post Posted May 17, 2012 By Alan Dron | May 17, 2012 Courtesy, Gulf Air Gulf Air (GF) is awaiting the result of deliberations in the upper house of Bahrain’s National Assembly after the lower house rejected a government proposal to recapitalize the beleaguered national carrier (ATW Daily News, Dec. 21, 2011). The proposed bailout of BD664 million ($1.75 billion) came after several years of heavy losses for GF, which has gradually shrunk over the past two decades as former partners Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar pulled out of the airline to set up their own carriers. GF has expressed disappointment at lawmakers’ rejection of the government proposal but noted its referral to the upper house and said it “looked forward to a resolution that will actively address GF’s current position and secure its long-term sustainability.” The carrier said it had been hit by “a series of unprecedented regional and economic factors,” notably rapidly rising fuel costs and the effects of the Arab Spring. The latter factor has not only resulted in considerable local unrest against Bahrain’s minority Sunni Moslem ruling family and upper classes by the Shia majority population but sharply reduced passenger numbers to and from nearby nations in 2011. More reading: http://atwonline.com...n-rejected-0516 http://atwonline.com...gotiations-1220 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khairuddin abu hanifah 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2013 Gulf Air announces major restructuring plan By Alan Dron | January 15, 2013 Bahrain-based Gulf Air will launch a major cost-cutting plan and focus increasingly on regional services. In a statement issued Tuesday, the carrier said it intends to strengthen its Middle East and North African (MENA) services, target 24% in cost savings by year end and simplify its fleet structure. The restructuring was foreshadowed by October’s announcement of a BD185 million ($494 million) government cash injection in the loss-making national carrier. Lawmakers also talked of halving the current 3,800 workforce and reducing its fleet from 39 to 20 aircraft. In November, Gulf Air reduced its outstanding orders with Airbus and Boeing and CEO Samer Majali resigned. Few details of the restructuring plan were given in Tuesday’s statement. However, the carrier said the network’s realignment would result in it “moving away from low-yield transit traffic and concentrating on high-demand and high-yield, point-to-point routes to connect Bahraini businesses with regional markets.” It would aim to have the largest network within the MENA region. This strengthening of its core network would be accompanied by fleet optimization and streamlining of its organizational structure. The fleet would retain both twin- and single-aisle equipment. “Gulf Air’s workforce requirement will be aligned to meet the operational, maintenance and administrative needs of the revised fleet and network,” the statement added. “Right-sizing will be implemented across all levels of the organization and will be done on a performance-based review and individual job assessment against business-critical requirements. Priority will be on retaining the most productive employees with focus on maintaining key talent.” Source: ATW Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
affendi osman 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2017 http://www.astroawani.com/berita-dunia/malaysia-tarik-minat-gulf-air-kembali-ke-klia-ab-aziz-131560 looks like Gulf Air will return to KUL soon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
