MANAMA — Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air has started to ramp up its operations to India beginning with 49 weekly flights this month.

By mid-May, Gulf Air will increase its weekly flights to 75, which is more than 90% of its pre-pandemic schedule to India, the company said.

"We are very excited to restore such an integral part of our airline’s operations," Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said.

"The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain never stopped flying during the peak of the pandemic making it one of the most experienced and safest airlines to fly during these times, and today we are growing closer to our full network with some new additions coming online this summer such as Milan, Manchester and Rome."

Gulf Air is working on frequencies and connectivity to offer more choices and convenience to its passengers and we are confident that the months ahead will feature more milestones and success stories to tell, he added.

Gulf Air has been operating direct flights between the Bahrain and India since 1960 and its network of Indian cities has always been key within the Gulf Air’s global network.

Being one of the few airlines that continued scheduled commercial operations, Gulf Air continuously works closely with the governments authorities throughout the destinations on its network to resume its operations as pandemic restrictions ease and the aviation industry recovers.

Being one of the few airlines that never stopped flying during the pandemic, Gulf Air has recently received the Skytrax Five Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating after a vigorous audit by Skytrax Research that took place in November and December 2021, in flying safely throughout the pandemic and enhancing its airport and onboard protocols to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The airline also received APEX’s Five Star Major Official Airline Rating; an award based solely on certified passengers’ feedback. — Agencies