LONDON – Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Saudi Arabian Airlines, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, have announced that they are holding talks on how they can look to expand their close commercial relationship by looking into the possibility of establishing a codeshare agreement.
The two carriers are the founding airlines of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and have both got a long history of working closely together. With the discussions now looking into a codeshare, they will be able to look to expand their footprints regionally and internationally by sharing their codes and offering all travellers “the signature warmth of Arabian hospitality.”
Commenting on the partnership, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “The relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been strong on many fronts, and aviation is one of them. Gulf Air and SAUDIA are the pioneer airlines in the GCC with over 70 years of legacy. We look forward to strengthening our ties to offer better connectivity and services to both airlines’ passengers”.
Gulf Air will have its ‘GF’ code placed on SAUDIA flights from Jeddah and Riyadh to Abha, Jizan, Ha’il, Yanbu and Aljouf as well as Tunis-Carthage airport, while SAUDIA will have its ‘SV’ code on Gulf Air Flights From Bahrain to Riyadh, Tbilisi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Baku, Multan and Jeddah. The codeshare operations will come into effect for the upcoming summer 2021 schedule, however, no information was provided on whether the agreement will remain the same during the winter schedule.
Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO of SAUDIA, said: “SAUDIA and Gulf Air are key partners in connecting guests on each carriers’ diverse route networks. Both airlines have a long history of partnership, in which this expanded codeshare agreement further enhances connectivity, convenience and flexibility for travellers.”
In addition to the codes being added to the routes, the airlines also confirmed that customers for both Gulf Air’s Falconflyer and SAUDIA’s Al Fursan Frequent Flyer programs would be able to redeem and earn points on each carrier’s flight, something which will allow greater flexibility and use of all services offered by each airline for loyal customers.
