Gulf Air is looking to expand its network in India by increasing flight frequencies and adding new destinations as demand grows, its CEO Martin Gauss said. The airline, which currently connects Bahrain with eight Indian cities, considers the Indian subcontinent one of its most important markets, both for passengers travelling to Bahrain and those using the country as a transit point to other international destinations. In an interview with The New Indian Express on the sidelines of the fourth edition of Gateway Gulf in Bahrain, Gauss said the airline was also open to expanding partnerships with Indian carriers to improve connectivity. He spoke about passenger demand from India, the impact of regional conflict on operations, rising fuel costs and the airline’s relations with Indian aviation authorities. Edited excerpts:
Gulf Air currently flies to eight destinations in India. Do you plan to add more destinations or increase flight frequencies?
India is a fast-growing market for us. We are looking at increasing frequencies and adding new destinations wherever possible. We will make an announcement when we have something concrete, but we have nothing to announce today. The Indian subcontinent is a very important market for Gulf Air, given its proximity to Bahrain and our role as a connecting carrier for passengers travelling to and from India. The largest share of our passengers, in percentage terms, already comes from the Indian subcontinent.
How much does the Indian market contribute to Gulf Air’s passenger traffic?
I do not have the exact figure with me, but it is one of our strongest traffic drivers. This is supported by growing travel demand from India. The traffic is not limited to passengers travelling to or from Bahrain. Many also use our wider network to travel to destinations such as Europe, New York and Shanghai. Our network is diverse, like those of other carriers in the region. One advantage of Bahrain is the speed of connectivity.
The maximum transfer time at our airport is 40 minutes because it is smaller and designed to handle connecting passengers efficiently. I think travellers from the Indian subcontinent appreciate the speed that Gulf Air offers.
Do you plan to increase codeshare agreements with Indian airlines to expand Gulf Air’s connectivity in India?
We are looking to expand our partnerships in general. We currently have 19 codeshare partners and more than 80 interline partners, connecting passengers to around 550 destinations worldwide. We want to increase this further and are open to discussions with different airlines. Our network team is working on this and is meeting airlines at various conferences to explore more codeshare and interline agreements. India is also part of this effort because it is a market that is growing very fast.
Bahrain’s airspace was closed for 40 days following the regional conflict. How long did it take Gulf Air to restore its operations?
When our airspace was closed for 40 days at the beginning of the year, it took us six weeks after reopening to restore the entire network. Since June-July, we have been operating 100% of our network without disruption, with healthy load factors of 85%. We also have more forward bookings for the coming period than we had a year ago.
Aviation turbine fuel prices have increased. How much has this affected your operating costs? Will passengers have to pay higher fares?
Operating costs are significantly higher today than they used to be because of fuel prices. However, ticket prices have not increased at the same pace. I think the industry believes that fuel prices will come down again. That is why passenger fares are rising more slowly than fuel prices. When fuel prices fall, we could see current ticket prices stabilising or fares coming down again due to competition.
Some foreign airlines have said that Indian aviation policies favour domestic carriers. Has Gulf Air faced any challenges in getting airport slots in India?
I think our relationship with India is good today. We are getting good traffic feed and have good relations. If there is an issue, I will tell you that there is an issue. But at present, things are good.