Gulf Air, the flag carrier of Bahrain, has taken delivery of two new Embraer 190-100 aircraft this month, taking the number of new aircraft in the airline's rapidly-growing fleet to a dozen in the last 12 months.
Gulf Air chief executive officer Samer Majali said that the induction of two more new aircraft in its fleet demonstrated Gulf Air's proactive re-fleeting plan - a core component of the company's new strategy to create a commercially sustainable business with a strong product offering.
He said: "Customers have become more discerning these days and they look for convenient flight schedules and the latest in-flight experience whenever they choose to fly; we at Gulf Air recognise that we need to offer both in order to be a carrier of choice.
"By selecting aircraft that are optimally-sized for our network and that meet our customers' aspirations, we are offering our passengers unbeatable choice in terms of schedule convenience and in-flight amenities and at the same time, we are accelerating the expansion and frequency of our regional network, reinforcing our leadership position.
"Our aim is to serve every capital and major city in the region with at least a double daily service; this objective can now become a reality thanks to the size, reliability, comfort and unbeatable economics of these new regional jets.
"With the induction of 12 new aircraft in the past 12 months and the phasing out of 12 older aircraft, the average age of our fleet is just 6.8 years - which compares very well with the region's other airlines."
Passengers on board the new Embraer 190-100 aircraft that comes with 12 Falcon Gold and 84 Economy seats will be treated to luxuriously-appointed interiors, furnished with all-leather upholstered seating throughout the aircraft with no middle seats, offering exceptional comfort.
The aircraft, slightly bigger than the E170s, also features state-of-the-art technology entertainment system with individual seat back TV screens where every passenger will be able to experience interactive personal audio and video-on-demand entertainment.
The two newly-delivered E190-100s will be used to serve eight to 10 intra-Gulf and regional routes on Gulf Air's network throughout its summer and winter schedules.
The new aircraft entered the fleet on a three-year lease agreement with the option to extend it. Embraer is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft and provides related aerospace services. It is the third-largest aircraft company in the world in terms of yearly deliveries of commercial aircraft.