Bahrain national carrier Gulf Air's inaugural flight to Addis Ababa touched down at the Ethiopian capital's Bole International Airport yesterday.

Addis Ababa is Gulf Air’s second route this month, following the commencement  of service to Isfahan in Iran.

The historic city of Addis Ababa expands Gulf Air’s global network to 47 global destinations covering Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Asia.

The airline will operate four flights a week on the Addis Ababa route, using an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 16 seats in Falcon Gold and 120 in Economy and has capacity to carry 4 tons of freight.

On this occasion, Gulf Air also announced an expanded codeshare agreement with Ethiopian Airlines. The agreement offers Gulf Air and Ethiopian Airlines passengers the choice to fly with either airline on routes between Bahrain and Addis Ababa, giving customers a choice of 16 flights per week on this route.

An extension of the codeshare agreement to onward flights from Bahrain to Middle Eastern and Asian destinations as well as from Addis Ababa to destinations in Eastern and Central Africa is already under discussion.

“We believe Ethiopia offers tremendous opportunities for entrepreneurs and businessmen from Bahrain and the Middle East and that Bahrain offers unlimited business opportunities for the Ethiopian market,” said Gulf Air chief executive officer Samer Majali.-TradeArabia News Service