By Rafiq Vayani
MANAMA: Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, and Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s national air carrier, today signed a codeshare agreement that will be effective from 1st November 2017. The agreement will expand the travel opportunities for the passengers of both airlines with jointly operated double daily flights between Bahrain and Istanbul.
The signing ceremony took place at Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul headquarters. Gulf Air’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Captain Waleed Abdul Hameed Al Alawi, and Turkish Airlines’ Deputy Chairman and CEO, Mr. Bilal Ekşi signed the agreement together in the presence of senior officials from both airlines.
This new codeshare agreement will be applied to the flights operated by both carriers to Manama and Istanbul, broadening the commercial partnership between the two companies and their respective countries while giving passengers of both airlines more travel options between Bahrain and Turkey.
Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines each operate one daily flight between Bahrain and Istanbul and, under the terms of this agreement, both carriers will place their codes on both airlines’ flights, operating between Bahrain and Istanbul.
Gulf Air’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Captain Waleed Abdul Hameed Al Alawi, welcomed the codeshare agreement saying: “Entering into a codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines is a positive strategic step forward for Gulf Air, through which we offer our guests a larger combined frequency of flights while strengthening and enhancing our commercial ties. Gulf Air passengers can now connect to a range of destinations through this codeshare by both airlines, providing them with greater choice, convenience and a seamless travel experience.”
Turkish Airlines’ Deputy Chairman and CEO, Mr. Bilal Ekşi said: “We are glad to sign this codeshare agreement with Gulf Air and aim to improve our partnership to maximize the travel opportunities offered to our passengers through our flight networks. Moreover, we believe that this partnership with Gulf Air will bring a remarkable benefit to both airlines from a commercial perspective in rapidly growing relations between our countries.” Mr. Ekşi also stressed that the codeshare agreement will enhance the airline’s commercial cooperation with Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain and also expressed his hope that this agreement will allow Turkish Airlines to win more passengers in the region.
