Gulf Air begins direct flights to Geneva

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, began its scheduled direct flights to Geneva on Tuesday – its first destination in Switzerland.

Flight GF 0023 departed from Bahrain International Airport today morning and arrived at Geneva International Airport to a ‘fireman’s salute’ water-arch ceremony. Later Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali hosted an event that was attended by a number of government, business, aviation and media VIP dignitaries from Geneva and Bahrain.

Talking to guests at the event Majali, the airline’s CEO, said: “I am delighted to see Gulf Air flying again to Switzerland; it further demonstrates our commitment to connect Bahrain to the region and the rest of the world including some of the world’s leading financial markets, to support Bahrain’s financial services and trade sector.”

“I would like to personally thank the Swiss authorities for granting us the rights to fly to Geneva and the airport authorities for facilitating this. I am sure our new direct route linking Geneva with Bahrain and onwards through our extensive Middle East network will open up excellent opportunities for business and leisure travellers throughout the region and in Switzerland.”

“2011 has been a busy year for Gulf Air, with five new routes opening up since January – Milan, Basra, Isfahan, Addis Ababa and Kabul,” he concluded.

Commenting on the start of the new direct service, Radhi said, “Switzerland has always been one of the favourite destinations for thousands of Bahrainis and GCC nationals. By launching direct services to Geneva, Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air has made it much easier not only for the Arabs, but also for expatriates and Swiss nationals wanting to visit Geneva for business, leisure or winter sports.”

“Geneva has had a special relation with the Gulf area for decades” said Deillon. “We are very pleased that Gulf Air is opening this new route between two major financial cities and we are confident that our catchment area will take advantage of this new high-quality long-haul service to Bahrain and beyond.”

The Bahrain-Geneva route is served three-times-a-week with a Boeing 737-700 extended range aircraft.