Bahrain’s Gulf Air pushes back Airbus, Boeing deliveries

Gulf Air (GF, Bahrain Int’l) has agreed with both Airbus and Boeing to defer deliveries of unspecified aircraft originally due for handover in 2020 and 2021 by a matter of six to nine months, Chairman Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani told the media during the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. al-Zayani did not go into any details about the types of aircraft affected. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Gulf Air has six A320-200Ns, six A321-200NXs, nine A321-200NX(LR)s, and five B787-9s on firm order from the manufacturers. al-Zayani confirmed that even considering the new agreements with the manufacturers, the Bahraini flag carrier would still take six new aircraft in 2021, likely comprising three A321-200NXs and three B787-9s. Former Chief Executive Krešimir Kučko told ch-aviation in September 2020 that the airline had decided to extend its ongoing narrowbody fleet renewal process through the end of 2026. Before COVID, it had hoped to retire all A320-200s and A321-200s by the end of 2023. It currently operates eleven and six units of these two types, respectively. Gulf Air has flexibility with its A320ceo as it owns most of the aircraft, except for three A320s and two A321s which are dry-leased. In terms of its A320neo Family aircraft, Gulf Air has thus far taken delivery of six A320-200Ns and two A321-200NXs, all of which are dry-leased. The carrier has already completed the retirement of its previous generation widebodies, having phased out the last A330-200 in late 2019.