Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and EL AL Airlines, Israel’s national airline, are set to embark on a historic collaboration following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during an official visit from the Kingdom of Bahrain to the State of Israel. The MOU was signed at the Hilton Tel Aviv by the Chairman of Gulf Air’s Board of Directors H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani and the Chairman of EL AL Airlines’ Board of Directors Mr. David Brodet. H.E. Mr. Alzayani also announced at the ceremony the launch of Gulf Air’s direct flights go Tel Aviv starting from, January 7, 2021 – subject to government approvals – with 2 weekly flights. The MOU signing and announcement of the airline’s newest destination launch follows the recent announcement of peace between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel and the political, commercial and civil aviation agreements signed recently between the two countries.
The comprehensive MOU sets the foundation to discuss potential joint codeshare operations between Manama and Tel Aviv, as well as on the global flight networks beyond the two carriers’ hubs, and contains plans for greater commercial cooperation in the fields of loyalty, cargo, engineering, travel technology and any area that can benefit both airlines and their customers.
Last month the airline operated the first ever and historic flight between Bahrain and Israel that carried the Kingdom’s delegation headed by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister H.E. Abdul Latif Al Zayani which inaugurated the new flight code GF972 and the return flight of GF973, representing the international dialling codes of both countries.