Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has inaugurated charter flights from Manama to Sochi, Russia.
The first flight landed at Sochi International Airport on Monday evening.
Alexander Nikonov, Deputy General Manager of Aerodinamika, expressed his excitement about this new venture.
He stated, “Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has started operating one flight per week. We are very pleased to have begun implementing our strategic direction for 2024, which we had planned before the pandemic, focusing on attracting tourism from the Middle East.”
The flights will operate once a week on Mondays during the spring and summer seasons using Airbus A-321 aircraft with a capacity of 166 passengers. The flight is scheduled to arrive in Sochi at 20:15 Moscow time and in Manama at 21:15 Moscow time.
Nikonov also mentioned that there are plans to operate flights on this route during the winter season.
He added, “We might convert these flights to regular routes, making tickets accessible to Russian citizens who can travel not only to Bahrain but also to other destinations with connecting flights from Bahrain.”
Alexei Komarov, General Manager of Sochi Airport, highlighted that efforts to expand the airport’s air route network have been ongoing since 2022, with a focus on international destinations, particularly in the Middle East.
He stated, “We will continue to attract customers from the Middle East, with Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar in our plans.”
Sochi International Airport ranks among the top five airports in Russia in terms of passenger traffic and is part of the Aerodinamika group.
It operates flights to 56 domestic destinations and 21 international destinations, served by 21 Russian and 10 foreign airlines.
By the end of the first quarter of 2024, Sochi Airport had served over 307,000 international passengers, a 2% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
