Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. 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 commented, "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 recognize 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.

He continued, "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 twelve new aircraft in the past twelve months and the phasing out of twelve older aircraft, the average age of our fleet is just 6.8 years - which compares very well with the regions other airlines; this means we are offering our customers a modern, fuel-efficient and younger aircraft to fly to their destination of choice as we continue to refleet," Mr. Majali concluded.

Passengers onboard 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. With over 3000 video titles and audio channels to choose from customers are spoilt for choice from a wide range of movies, music, news and documentaries in Arabic, English and several other international languages.

The two newly-delivered E190-100s will be used to serve eight to ten 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. Their arrival brings the number of regional jets in the airlines fleet to four. Gulf Air took delivery of two E170 regional jets from Embraer in March this year on a three year lease agreement with the option to extend for a further five years.

In parallel to the fast-track introduction of the two leased Embraer 190-100 jets, Gulf Air is carrying out a full analysis and evaluation of all the regional jets in the market before deciding on the regional jet-type that would suit its requirement on a permanent basis. This will support Gulf Air's strategic blueprint that aims to create an airline reflecting the needs and aspirations of its customers with a targeted, more focused regional and international network, a superior and more consistent product and a modern, more efficient fleet.