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Jeffrey Goh, Gulf Air's CEO, explains to the delegates of Routes World 2024 how he plans to deliver profits in the next two years.
At the Exhibition World Bahrain in Manama, currently hosting the 29th Edition of the Routes World Conference, the opening day was focused on the host nation of Bahrain and its role in the crowded commercial aviation landscape in the Middle East.
After the welcome notes of the Transport Minister His Excellency Mohamed bin Thamir AlKaabi and the Tourism Minister Her Excellency Fatima bint Jaffer AlSairafi, the role of keynote speaker was played by Gulf Air’s CEO Jeffrey Goh, who has been at the helm of the Bahrani flag carrier for the past 18 months after a long career in aviation spanning over two decades.
Goh has more recently assumed the role of CEO for the entire Gulf Air Group, which includes the airline Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Bahrain Airport Company, which manages and operates Bahrain International Airport, Gulf Aviation Academy, and Hala Bahrain Hospitality.
“I have a phenomenal opportunity to bring the airline and the airport together – said Goh while answering the questions of the moderator from Routes – usually these entities fight with each other all the time about all sort of issues,” he said.
Gulf Air currently represents approximately 75% of the operations for Bahrain airport, and one of the main KPIs (Key Performance Indicator) for the group is how products within the group are exported outside Bahrain. “Today 70% of our traffic is connecting traffic: we want to recalibrate that, we want people to visit Bahrain. And we want to do that focusing on achieving stability in our operations and aiming to become a profitable airline,” Goh added.
He says his airline is targeting profitability at the end of 2026 or the latest at the beginning of 2027. The pillars that will make Gulf Air a profitable carrier are connectivity and attention to customer service.
“We want to expand our network maintaining a calibrated ambition”, continued Goh, suggesting that far too many airlines have bitten off more than they could chew resulting in paying the price for their overreach. “We have 60 destinations, some of them seasonal, and we are planning to have 25 more in the next few years, if aircraft availability allows it.”
There have been rumors during the past weeks about Gulf Air’s intention to return to the United States in 2025 after an almost 30-year hiatus, but the CEO, while confirming that a flight to JFK is being considered, did not confirm the timeline. “When considering international routes, especially to the United States, there are many bureaucratic hurdles to be overcome, and they will affect the ability to launch a route. Fingers crossed, we’ll be able to start next year, but the regulatory environment is difficult.”
At the moment Gulf Air has 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, of which only eight operate at any given time due to restrictions caused by maintenance or engine issues. The narrowbody fleet sees 32 aircraft, all Airbus, with nine on order.
“Our onboard product offers free WiFi to all passengers, and to those who travel long-haul in business class we have introduced the option to select their meals in advance at least 24 hours before the flight. And our business class seat is the longest in the industry,” the CEO said.
Gulf Air needs to compete with some large carriers in the region, but “bigger is not always better,” says Goh. “My personal record is seven minutes from the curb to the gate: and we can do that because our airport is small and efficient. Our minimum connecting time at the moment is 60 minutes, but we are planning to reduce it, possibly even considerably reduce it, and we are confident we can deliver on the product.”
And in the current climate, it is not possible to discuss the performance of an airline without considering its plans to achieve sustainability. “I think the 2050 target is a good target for aviation, but it’s not a target that airlines can meet by themselves. We need help from airports, and we need help from governments. The key to [meeting] that target is the availability and cost of SAF, which right now is just not where it should be. It’s up to the government to make sure airlines are in a position to do their part.”
Vanni fell in love with commercial aviation during his undergraduate studies in Statistics at the University of Bologna, when he prepared his thesis on the effects of deregulation on the U.S. and European aviation markets. Then he pursued his passion further by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the U.K. followed by holding several management positions at various start-up carriers in Europe (Jet2, SkyEurope, Silverjet). After moving to Canada, he was Business Development Manager for IATA for nine years before turning to his other passion: sports writing.
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