Gulf Air Reveals Operational Plans for new A321s

Middle East carrier Gulf Air has confirmed that it will launch operations with the first of six Airbus A321s that it has on order during the second quarter of this year. The airline is due to receive its first aircraft in late March / early April and will launch commercial scheduled operations with the type from May 1, 2012.

According to the latest update to its flight inventory, the A321 will initially enter service on the Bahrain – Mumbai route on a twice daily basis. As additional aircraft arrive the jet will be introduced on flights from Bahrain to Cairo, Delhi, Karachi and Kochi from June 1, 2012 and then on the Bahrain – Colombo route from September 1, 2012.

Gulf Air is to operate the aircraft in a two-class arrangement with 8 Business Class and 161 Economy Class seats. Unlike many Airbus A320 Family models, Gulf Air’s Business Class will be fitted with seats that can convert into lie-flat beds and the entire aircraft will be fitted with a modern In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) suite with private televisions for every passenger.

This is not the first time Gulf Air has operated the A321. In June 2008 it acquired two aircraft on lease from Macquarie AirFinance but these were retired from service late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter of last year as political hostilities in Bahrain intensified. They were then returned to the lessor in June and July and are now in operation with Atlasjet Airlines in Turkey.