Gulf Air CEO Martin Gauss at Routes World 2026.
FRANKFURT—Gulf Air is reviewing its long-term aircraft requirements after high load factors exposed a shortage of widebody capacity across parts of its network.
CEO Martin Gauss said the Bahrain-based airline may not have ordered enough 787s to meet current demand and its longer-term network ambitions. Two additional 787s are due to arrive in the spring, but the carrier is already considering further fleet expansion.
“Maybe we have not ordered enough 787s in the past to fulfill our needs for today,” Gauss said during a panel at Routes World 2026 in Frankfurt. “Our load factors right now are in the mid-80s.”
Gulf Air announced an agreement in July 2025 to purchase 12 787s, with options for six more. Boeing said at the time that finalizing the deal would increase the airline’s firm 787 orderbook to 14 aircraft, alongside 10 already in service.
The fleet plan is intended to support additional capacity to Europe and Asia, as well as higher frequencies within the Gulf region. Gauss said Gulf Air wants to deploy more 787s to Europe but is currently using Airbus A321s on several routes because it lacks sufficient widebody capacity.
“We need to bring the 787s to Europe,” he said. “We just don’t have enough today. If we look now at Asia, at all the potential markets, because Bahrain is an independent country, we have a lot of bilateral flying rights we’re not using today.”
Obtaining additional aircraft presents a challenge, however. Gauss said a new 787 order placed today might not be delivered until 2034, limiting Gulf Air’s ability to respond quickly to new opportunities or a rebound in regional demand.
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Gulf Air has continued rebuilding its network after disruption caused by the Iran conflict. The airline temporarily relocated its fleet to Saudi Arabia when Bahrain’s airspace was closed for 40 days, replicating its network from another country before progressively returning aircraft home. Gauss said the airline rebuilt its network within six weeks.
Gulf Air is now operating slightly more of its network than a year ago, with revenue also running ahead of the previous year. However, Gauss warned that the airline may lack sufficient capacity to accommodate a sharp rebound once regional tensions ease.
“If we just assume that the surge is coming after the crisis is over, we would not have the capacity to take all the passengers who would come from such a surge,” he said.
“We are finalizing our fleet plan for the next 10 years, and then we will definitely see more aircraft. We will see more widebodies and more narrowbodies and a different mix than today.”
Gulf Air launched service to Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 29, adding another Southeast Asian gateway alongside Singapore. Gauss said the opportunity extends beyond local traffic, pointing to the potential to feed passengers from Malaysia’s domestic network through Bahrain.
China also offers further scope for expansion. Gulf Air currently serves Guangzhou and Shanghai, which Gauss described as performing well, although additional services would depend partly on securing bilateral rights.
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