Gulf Air sees 8.5% rise in passenger numbers to 3.1 million

Bahrain’s flag carrier, Gulf Air, said passenger numbers have increased by 8.5 per cent to 3.1 million in the first half of the year compared to H1 2023, the airline said.

Gulf Air’s holding company Gulf Air Group and the Bahrain Airport Company released its H1 2024 results on Wednesday and said an increase in passenger numbers, travel volume, and cargo traffic marked its performance in the first half of the year.

The carrier’s capacity grew to more than 4.3 million, while passenger load factors rose to 77.9 per cent, and cargo traffic increased by 3.5 per cent to 41,000 tonnes.

The airline credited the increase in passenger numbers to expanding its network with new flights. Gulf Air strengthened its Asia-Pacific and European network with new flights to Guangzhou and Shanghai in China and Munich in Germany, establishing additional connectivity with Bahrain.

Furthermore, the airline also resumed flights to Baghdad and Najaf in Iraq, increased frequencies to Doha, and Muscat, in addition to Manchester in the UK, and Milan and Rome in Italy, and launched new seasonal destinations to Alula in Saudi Arabia, Geneva in Switzerland, and Rhodes in Greece.

In terms of overall passenger statistics at Bahrain International Airport, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) reported a 13.2 per cent increase in passenger volume to 4.6 million in the first half of 2024. Additionally, there was a 9.4 per cent rise in air traffic movements, with over 48,000 flights recorded, indicating the airport’s increasing popularity.

Cargo operations saw an increase of 7.19 per cent to 189,799 tonnes compared to the first half of 2023. As for new airlines, Bahrain Airport Company welcomed Pakistan’s Fly Jinnah, which began flights from Islamabad to Bahrain in July.