Gulf Air faced with 'ministry boycott' in Bahrain

Gulf Air is facing a government boycott after Bahrain’s Foreign Minister was denied his usual seat onboard a recent flight from Kuala Lumpur, it has been reported.

According to Gulf Daily News (GDN), Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa had been booked onto flight GF283 from the Malaysian capital to Bahrain, although the service was delayed as a result of technical problems, leading the foreign minister to be transferred to a local hotel until an alternative flight the next day.

However, while checking into the alternative flight, Shaikh Khalid’s usual seat, A1, in Gulf Air’s Falcon Gold cabin was already booked by another passenger, leading to a disagreement with the chief flight attendant and captain.

The top government official later issued a memo on 8th January 2012 that urged ministry staff "to stop all dealings with Gulf Air until further notice", according to GDN.

The ministry's media, studies and research directorate has since been quoted as stating the boycott was an “administrative decision” and the recent incident had only contributed to the decision. "We hope that Gulf Air provides and improves competitive services that encourages the ministry to reconsider dealing with it in future,” it stated.

The incident has received a growing amount of coverage in international media, including the Financial Times, although an official statement from Gulf Air has not been issued to date. "We just heard about this and sincerely hope it is not the case," a spokeswoman from the airline told GDN.
 

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