Bahrain Air to go ahead with launch of service to Egypt

Bahrain's value airline - Bahrain Air - said yesterday that it is to press ahead with its proposed launch of flights to Egypt despite the turmoil currently affecting the North African country.

The airline had previously announced plans to launch a new route from Bahrain to Sharm El Sheikh, the famous Egyptian Red Sea resort. The route is not currently served by either Gulf Air or Egypt Air.

Bahrain's Gulf Daily News reported that the airline is still "waiting and watching", but quoted security, corporate affairs and government relations senior manager Abdul Aziz Yosuf Al Shaer as saying he expected the flights to go ahead as scheduled.

"We have prepared for the launch on March 3 and, as things stand now, are all set to go," he told the GDN.

The airline is planning two flights a week, one on Monday and another on Thursday, to and from the resort.

Bahrain Air already has an active route to Alexandria. "There is a tremendous potential and huge opportunity for growth," Al Shaer said. "We are sure the situation will become normal very soon and tourists will start flocking to Cairo and other parts of Egypt as usual."

Gulf Air said yestyerday that all of its flights between Bahrain and Egypt were operating normally - apart from some arrival and departure time changes to comply with the curfews in effect in the country.