Gulf Air outlines $7.6bn orders for its fleet replacement

In a series of order events at the opening day of the Bahrain Airshow, It also said it would buy 16 Boeing 787s, as announced in 2008, but switch that order from the 787-8 to the larger 797-9 variant.
The single-aisle order will consist of 17 A321neo and 12 A320neo. Nine of the A321neos will be standard versions, while eight will be extended-range variants capable of flying to western European destinations. The airline’s current A320/321 fleet already operates to Frankfurt, Paris and, occasionally, to London.
“This [Airbus] order is based on the experience we’ve gained in operating the A321s,” said Gulf Air’s acting CEO, Maher Salman Al Musallam. “They work very well.”
The first aircraft from the new order, an A320neo, will arrive in June 2018.
Gulf Air at present operates six A330s for its long-haul sectors to London, Manila and Bangkok. “The last thing we want to do is operate two wide-body types,” Al Musallam said. However, it had become obvious that the airline’s original order for Boeing 787-8s should be changed.
“Is the -8 the correct answer for Gulf Air? No. It’s not right because we need a larger aircraft with longer range and an aircraft that can be utilised throughout our network. I need a high-density aircraft to go to Manila and Bangkok. The -8 is fine for flying to London, but not to Bangkok and Manila because of the number of passengers.”
The current A330s have a capacity of 214 passengers and Gulf Air finds itself competing with the major Gulf carriers that routinely put 400-seat capacity aircraft on the London run. A two-class configuration on the 787-9 will typically accommodate just fewer than 300 passengers.
Consultants and the airline’s network planning team studying its long-haul needs over the past two years “loved the A330neo, but we have a contract with Boeing”, said Al Musallam. The 16 787-9s will be worth $4.2 billion, with the first due to be delivered in April 2018.
Ten will be delivered from 2018-20, with a second batch of six delivered in 2023-24, although the second batch may be cancelled or remarketed if Gulf Air feels it no longer