The national carriers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are set to establish a codeshare agreement as they seek closer commercial ties.
Gulf Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the first two airlines that started operations in the Gulf region, said they will cooperate to expand their footprints regionally and internationally by sharing their codes.
Under the codeshare deal, Gulf Air place its ‘GF’ code on Saudia flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Bahrain, Abha, Jizan, Yanbu, Aljouf, Ha’il as well as Tunis–Carthage airport.
Saudia will place its ‘SV’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Riyadh, Jeddah, Tbilisi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Baku, and Multan.These codeshare operations will commence from the upcoming summer schedule of 2021, a statement said.
Gulf Air’s acting CEO Waleed AlAlawi said: “The relationship between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has always been strong on many fronts, and aviation is one of them… We look forward to strengthening our ties to offer better connectivity and services to both airlines’ passengers.”
Ibrahim S Koshy, CEO of Saudia, said: “Saudia and Gulf Air are key partners in connecting guests on each carriers’ diverse route networks. Both airlines have a long history of partnership, in which this expanded codeshare agreement further enhances connectivity, convenience and flexibility for travelers.”
Under the deal, Gulf Air’s Falconflyer members will be able to earn and redeem miles when flying on Saudia while Saudia’s Al Fursan frequent flyer members can do the same when traveling with Gulf Air.
Source:https://www.arabianbusiness.com/travel-hospitality/462604-bahrain-saudi-national-carriers-set-to-launch-codeshare-deal