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GULF AIR'S new chief executive officer Samer Majali is calling on some of the world's greatest aviation brains alongside hotshots from within the company itself to ensure the nation's carrier flies back into profitability.
He believes it makes for a winning combination that will help raise morale and build an efficient, sustainable business and a dynamic national airline that will effectively serve the people and economy of Bahrain.
He said: "We are currently working with a number of advisors who are facilitating our current business review as we work towards developing a new strategy. However, the strategy and its implementation must come from within the company.
"The only people that can turn around the airline are its employees. Gulf Air has an enviable pool of talent, expertise and knowledge.
"This is the key to our future and I am therefore confident that we are well prepared to meet the challenges ahead."
Mr Majali's magic worked at Royal Jordanian where under his leadership the airline was transformed into a highly successful and profitable business driven by a comprehensive strategy to modernise the airline's fleet and reshape its network of routes.
It would appear Gulf Air is moving in a similar direction within a month of Mr Majali taking over from former CEO, Bjorn Naf.
Only last week Gulf Air flew its inaugural flight to Baghdad which marked the start of a new five-time weekly service the carrier is operating to the Iraqi capital.
Mr Majali led a delegation of senior Gulf Air executives, board members as well as government, business, diplomatic and media representatives on the maiden voyage, including Iraq's Ambassador to Bahrain Ghassan Mohsen Hussain and Bahrain's Ambassador to Iraq, Salah Al Malki. Also on board were senior executives of SH&E, the renowned US company which for 45 years has concentrated on aviation consulting. Its specialists have been drawn from airline and airport management, academia, government and related businesses and have been involved in many major aviation industry developments such as airline network and fleet planning, mergers, as well as asset management and appraisals.
In the party was company principal Mark Diamond who stepped on the Baghdad flight shortly after arriving in the kingdom from the US.
He declined to comment on the exact role the company would play although industry insiders have been speculating that a possible merger or 'strategic partnership' may be on the cards with Mr Majali's former company Royal Jordanian being touted as a hot contender.
On arriving at Baghdad International Airport, Mr Majali concentrated on celebrating the service as a "great milestone for a new, forward-looking Gulf Air".
He said: "We were the first and only full-service GCC carrier to operate into Baghdad back in 1976 and we reaffirm that leadership position. My plan is that we will soon operate to a total of five destinations in Iraq - Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, Basra and Solamnia.
"We are proud to be serving Iraq once again offering a direct service from our home hub in Bahrain and excellent connections from Europe.
"Iraq has enormous commercial potential for Gulf Air and building on our experience and knowledge of operating there over many years, our aim is to become the market leader operating regular services to five key cities within the country."
As well as the special Gulf Air delegation, more than 90 customers were also onboard the inaugural flight taking immediate advantage of the new direct services from Bahrain.
The airline will commence flights four times per week to Najaf from September 26, which will become a daily service from October 26. Services to Erbil will begin on October 26 with three flights per week, which will also become a daily service in due course.
Gulf Air's service to Najaf, in the south of Iraq, will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using an A320 aircraft. Service to Erbil, in Northern Iraq, will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, also using an A320 aircraft.
