Bahrain’s Gulf Air in talks with OEMs over order deferrals

Gulf Air (GF, Bahrain Int’l) is in talks with both Airbus and Boeing regarding the deferral of deliveries due over the next several years, although it does not intend to suspend them outright, acting chief executive Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi told Reuters. The Bahraini flag carrier is negotiating a new delivery schedule for its five outstanding B787-9s. Al Alawi did not disclose any further details but confirmed that the airline still intends to take “some” in 2021. In September 2020, then CEO Krešimir Kučko told ch-aviation that three of the quintet would deliver in “late 2020 or early 2021”, while the other two were due in late 2021 or early 2022. Gulf Air also intends to take “at least” three A321-200NXs in 2021 but will not add any A320-200Ns this year. Kučko earlier revealed that the carrier had slowed down its narrowbody fleet renewal programme, which was initially due to complete by the end of 2023. Under the new timeline, Gulf Air wants to retire all of its A320-200s and A321-200s by the end of 2026. The airline has outstanding orders for six A320-200Ns (on top of six it already operates), seven A321-200NXs (one operated), and nine A321-200NX(LR)s (none delivered so far). They will collectively replace thirteen A320-200s and six A321-200s. In late 2020, the airline formalised the cancellation of its order for ten A220-100s. Although it was open about its unwillingness to take the aircraft since at least 2018, the order had remained on the books of Airbus Canada.