Gulf Air's traffic through its Muscat hub has exceeded forecasts following the concentration of its operations in Oman and Bahrain.
The airline says it had expected a 25% rise in passenger numbers through Muscat, but that the figure climbed above 30% for the first half of this year. The passenger count through Bahrain increased by more than 32% over the same period.
Gulf Air says the effect of the shift to a two-hub strategy - adopted after the Abu Dhabi government withdrew from Gulf Air, prompting the airline to close its hub in the emirate and concentrate on Bahrain and Oman - was demonstrated during the second quarter, when Muscat growth reached 39% and that in Bahrain exceeded 41%. "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," says outgoing Gulf Air chief executive James Hogan.
Source: Flight International
