Turkish Airlines, Gulf Air Strengthen Ties With Eyes On Joint Venture

Turkish Airlines and Bahrain's Gulf Air agreed Sept. 30 to boost their strategic cooperation and drive mutual growth and business development between the two carriers.

 

A memorandum of understanding was signed by departing Gulf Air Group CEO Jeffrey Goh and Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi at Turkish Airlines’ headquarters in Istanbul.

 

Under the agreement, the carriers will cooperate across several areas including strategic partnerships, reciprocal loyalty program benefits, ground handling and potential joint ventures.

 

The airlines also plan to explore opportunities to expand their networks through strategic route opportunities, building on direct services between Turkey and Bahrain.

 

“As the airline is flying to more countries than any other, we remain committed to expanding cooperation across diverse areas while delivering more options and benefits to our guests,” Ekşi said. “We believe this agreement will pave the way for further reinforcing the bonds between Turkey and Bahrain, fostering growth and long-term cooperation.”

 

Goh added: “By leveraging our combined strengths, we are able to offer our passengers access to new markets and significant additional travel options. This partnership reflects our strategy of partnership growth and to develop global connectivity for Bahrain."

 

Turkish Airlines currently serves more than 355 destinations in 131 countries, with Istanbul positioned as a key hub bridging Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

 

Gulf Air, meanwhile, is implementing a modernization strategy that includes fleet renewal and expansion across the Middle East, Asia and Europe.