Gulf Air (GF, Bahrain International) is considering joining an airline alliance, chief executive Krešimir Kučko has told AIN.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ACI Europe & World general assembly, Kučko said the Bahrain-based carrier's five-year plan calls for an increase in cooperation with other airlines, including the possibility of joining an alliance.
“We are evaluating the possibilities and will start the process of approaching the groups at the end of the summer,” he said without mentioning any specific target alliances.
Earlier this week, Etihad Airways' newly appointed CEO Tony Douglas said the Abu Dhabi-based carrier was itself looking at partnership opportunities with other airlines and alliances given Star Alliance's recent decision to delist Etihad as a rival airline partnership.
“The fact we’ve now been identified in their eyes as a more rational airline not just going for ‘growth for growth’s sake’ but looking for sustainable growth, means they’ve deregulated us and [we] will be able to go around the Star partners to build connectivity with their networks through codeshares wherever both parties agree to do so,” he told The National newspaper. A spokeswoman later clarified that this does not equate to Etihad joining the Star Alliance.
Douglas added that Etihad would also focus more on developing Abu Dhabi International's point-to-point traffic over its previous super-hub model.
