[Kurt A]

Gulf to revamp entire image
Thursday, April 10, 2008

Gulf Air Tuesday announced its intention to completely update its image, from livery, uniforms, aircraft cabin interiors to passenger lounges.

In a rehaul aiming to boost its market share, the Bahrain carrier has hired London based James Park Associates, the team behind the Singapore Airlines rehaul, to develop and implement the redesign.

“With the help of James Park Associates, we will redesign every aspect of the passenger experience to blend traditional comfort with cutting-edge technology and materials to give our customers an unforgettable journey with Gulf Air,” said Bjorn Naf, Gulf Air CEO.

Gulf Air has not yet disclosed how much the update is set to cost, nor have they outlined a timeline for roll-out, though they did indicated that it will coincide with an expansion of its current fleet.

The carrier also indicated that it would make significant changes to its in-flight entertainment systems as part of the revamp.

Designer James Park said of the deal, “This is an incredibly exciting project and one which will see further enhancement to Gulf Air’s image as a world class airline.

“The civil aviation world is evolving at an incredible speed and the challenge for all airlines and their designers is not meeting passengers’ expectations, but exceeding them.”

This revamp will signify a new start for the carrier who in 2007 lost two CEOs and was found to be losing some BHD1 million a day.

-etravel