Gulf Air (GF, Bahrain International) has announced it will resume hub operations at Bahrain International following the enforcement of new regulations issued by the Bahraini Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA).
The state-backed carrier said in a statement on April 5 that it will now offer transit flights connecting London Heathrow, Paris CDG, and Frankfurt International with Manila Ninoy Aquino International. However, entry into Bahrain remains restricted to nationals and permanent residents.
Meanwhile, authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have clarified that Emirates and Etihad Airways have been authorised to operate repatriation flights alone and that their respective services to Europe and Asia do not constitute a full-on resumption of hub operations at either Dubai International or Abu Dhabi International.
Last week, Emirates announced it would operate limited flights from Dubai to London Heathrow (4x weekly), Frankfurt International (3x weekly), Paris CDG (3x weekly), Brussels National (3x weekly), and Zurich (3x weekly) from April 6 onwards using its B777-300(ER) fleet. Shortly after, Etihad announced it would operate repatriation flights from Abu Dhabi to Seoul Incheon followed by Melbourne Tullamarine, Singapore Changi, Manila Ninoy Aquino International, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, and Amsterdam Schiphol.
A General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) spokesman told the WAM news agency that the repatriation flights will cater exclusively to UAE-based foreign nationals wishing to return to their home countries and that the suspension of regular passenger services, including charter flights, set to run until April 8, is still in effect.
Sources in the UAE have since told Al Watan newspaper that Emirates is looking to resume hub operations from May 1 but this is only tentative and subject to regulatory approval.
