Manama: Gulf Air has launched non-stop scheduled flights Addis Ababa, making the Ethiopian capital its 47th destination in a network that covers Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Asia.
Addis Ababa is Gulf Air's second route begun in the first month of the year, following the launch of service to Isfahan in Iran.
The airline will operate four flights a week on the Addis Ababa route, using an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 16 seats in Falcon Gold and 120 in Economy and has a capacity of four tons of freight, Samer Majali, the airline's CEO, said.
"We are delighted to commence services to Addis Ababa. We believe Ethiopia offers tremendous opportunities for entrepre-neurs and businessmen from Bahrain and the Middle East and that Bahrain offers unlimited business opportunities for the Ethiopian market," he said.
"We are confident this new route will be a success for both our passenger and cargo operations, and we look forward to facilitating business and leisure traffic between the two countries and beyond. Gulf Air operates the largest network in the Middle East with non-stop flights as well as onward connections to other international destinations, connecting 47 cities in 30 countries. That, combined with today's codeshare agreement with Ethiopian Airlines, will ensure that passengers have an extensive range of travel options," he said upon arrival in the Ethiopian capital.
The expanded codeshare agreement offers the passengers of both companies the choice to fly with either airline on routes between Bahrain and Addis Ababa.
