Max Kingsley-Jones/BAHRAIN
Plans have emerged for a new regional airline in the Gulf which would operate an intensive network of short haul services between major cities in the region.
The impetus for the airline has come from business interests in the Bahrain and other Gulf states. Local sources suggest firm plans could crystallise within 12 months.
The airline is expected to work with Gulf Air, possibly as a franchise partner, taking over some of its thinner, low-yield routes and providing higher frequency connections. It is likely the airline will operate from hubs in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, although officially the local civil aviation authority claims to have no knowledge of the plans.
It is understood that a fleet of four to six turboprops would be acquired to operate high frequency shuttle-type services, filling a similar niche to the ATR 42 operation recently initiated by Oman Air from its base in Muscat. Several manufacturers are believed to have visited the region to discuss supplying aircraft to the airline, and current plans are thought to centre around the lease of four ex-British Airways British Aerospace ATPs from BAe Asset Management.
Until now, the Gulf's regional services have been operated by much larger aircraft, and it is generally acknowledged that the region is in desperate need of an improvement in these services. Gulf Air's smallest aircraft are its 124-seat Airbus Industrie A320s, which are often deployed on very short sectors such as the 11min flight from Bahrain to Dahran in Saudi Arabia, or the 24min flight to Doha, Qatar. These are the types of route which are prime candidates for the new airline.
Source: Flight International
