Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has extended the IATA Travel Pass trial to include more routes after the initial kick-off on flights from Bahrain to Athens, London and Singapore flights. Starting from today, the airline will include flights from Bahrain to Dubai, Frankfurt and Paris flights to the IATA Travel Pass trial project to expand to more passengers and more destinations. Moreover, another milestone will be added to the extended list of destinations in which passengers with non-biometric passports on both iOS and Android devices will be able to take part in the trial to simplify and manage COVID-19 travel requirements and enhance the overall travel experience.

Passengers flying to Athens, Dubai, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Singapore will be able to trial the app which helps passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information. Gulf Air passengers will be able to create a ‘digital passport’ allowing them to match their travel itineraries with the COVID-19 health requirements of their destination country, and validate compliance. Bahrain is one of the first governments to participate in a trial of the IATA Travel Pass with its national carrier to help pave the way for the re-establishment of global connectivity while managing the risks of COVID-19.

Passengers flying from Bahrain can conduct the tests required for their final destination at the following IATA authorized labs to securely send the test results to passengers via the app:

• American Mission Hospital
• Bahrain Specialist Hospital
• Royal Bahrain Hospital
• Royal Hospital for Women and Children

Passengers flying directly from Bahrain to Athens, Dubai, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Singapore will be notified with instructions on how to sign up to be part of the trial and instructions on how to contact the labs to schedule their tests. Economy class passengers will receive access to the Gulf Air Falcon Gold check-in area and Falcon Gold Lounge at Bahrain International Airport while passengers in Falcon Gold cabin will receive free WiFi on board their flights (when available) as a token of appreciation for their participation.

In other news, Gulf Air, in response to the surging travel demand will increase its direct flights to the Maldives capital, Male, to be daily starting from August 15, 2021. The route has been very popular in the recent months due to the relaxed rules and regulations for passengers to enter the Maldives which led passengers from Bahrain, the GCC and Europe to prefer the destination to many other Indian Ocean choices.

Gulf Air began the summer season with flights to 80% of its pre-pandemic network and it continued to resume operations and restore services to cities of its original 2019 destination network. The airline has also announced that it has successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as well as recently resuming Tbilisi in Georgia. The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Tbilisi, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan.

The airline operates all its flights by 100% vaccinated crew including pilots and flight attendants since May 2021 following an internal vaccination campaign for its operating crew and front line staff that began in December 2020 and is proud to be one of the first airlines in the world to able to provide peace of mind to all passengers flying to any destination of its growing network. Moreover, Gulf Air offers complimentary COVID-19 travel insurance coverage to all ticket holders including health and quarantine expenses in the unexpected circumstances of being diagnosed with or contracting COVID-19 during passengers’ journeys. All tickets booked, including redemption tickets, on Gulf Air flights for travel until 10 November 2021 are automatically covered with COVID-19 insurance at no extra cost. All passengers, according to the newly announced insurance policy and in the unfortunate event of being diagnosed with COVID-19 while traveling abroad, will be covered for repatriation assistance, medical and hospitals costs abroad as well as quarantine accommodation costs. Coverage is applicable on Gulf Air operated flights with Gulf Air ticket numbers that are purchased through the airline’s website, the Gulf Air Contact Centre, Gulf Air’s sales offices or travel agents.

Finally, Gulf Air also resumed its direct operations to Moscow Domodedovo International Airport in Russia starting with 2 weekly flights on August 14, 2021.