For several years now, executives at Bahrain-based Gulf Air have been talking about plans for the airline to resume flights to the United States. In September 2024, the company’s CEO indicated that service could start within a year. Then in April 2025, Gulf Air received regulatory approval for launching such service.
Well, there’s now an exciting update, as this is official, and flights for the new route are now on sale…
Gulf Air adding United States flights soon
As of October 1, 2025, Gulf Air will start flying 3x weekly between Bahrain (BAH) and New York (JFK). The new service will operate with the following schedule:
GF91 Bahrain to New York departing 4:00AM arriving 10:55AM
GF90 New York to Bahrain departing 3:00PM arriving 10:35AM (+1 day)
The service will operate in both directions on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and will use Terminal 1 at JFK. The 6,613-mile flight is blocked at 13hr55min westbound and 12hr35min eastbound. Gulf Air will use a Boeing 787-9 for the route, featuring 282 seats, including 26 business class seats and 256 economy class seats.
Keep in mind that Air Canada and Gulf Air have a partnership. This is a great way to redeem miles for travel between the United States and the Middle East (and beyond). It seems that as of now, the airline has released one business class award seat per flight.
The airline flew to New York and Houston back in the day (if I recall correctly, Gulf Air actually flew from Bahrain to New York to Houston), though that route was cut over 25 years ago. Currently the airline operates flights exclusively to Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Here’s how Gulf Air CEO Jeffrey Goh describes this development:
“We are excited to announce the launch of our direct flights to New York’s JFK and our return to the North American market. This service aligns with Gulf Air’s strategy of calibrated expansion and serving strategic markets, providing passengers with greater choice and convenience for travel, through Bahrain International Airport, between Bahrain and North America, and beyond, supporting the connectivity strategy of the Kingdom.”
How does Gulf Air expect to succeed in the US?
Is Gulf Air resuming United States flights because the airline thinks it can actually make money flying here, or is this about prestige and business ties? Gulf Air executives have historically recognized that the airline is more of a boutique carrier, and that’s the strength the company hopes to focus on. As the previous CEO of the airline admitted:
“You can’t compete with airlines that are bigger in size, volume or with prices. You can only compete in quality. I can compete with any airline, no matter the size, with the quality of my product. That’s the battle I willingly participate with a chance to win.”
“We want to offer our passengers traditional Arabian hospitality. Which for that to really put true meaning into practice, you really need to offer something unique.”
I totally appreciate a CEO who wants to invest in the product, though he also acknowledged that his airline couldn’t compete in terms of schedule or price.
Pre-pandemic, a total of under two dozen passengers per day traveled between New York and Bahrain (based on published passenger data), so there isn’t sufficient demand for this route in terms of point-to-point traffic. So this is all about connectivity, which also means the competition is fierce.
The reality is that Gulf Air’s biggest competitors are also known for their excellent products, whether we’re talking about Emirates’ A380 business class or Qatar Airways’ Qsuites. I doubt Gulf Air is going to find that people are willing to pay a premium to fly Gulf Air over those airlines. That’s especially true when you consider those airlines fly to New York 3x daily, rather than 3x weekly.
So adding service to the US doesn’t exactly seem like a money-making recipe. Then again, in many ways long haul economics are better than in the past, thanks to smaller, more fuel efficient planes, like the Dreamliner.
Gulf Air has quite the history as an airline
Gulf Air used to be the biggest and most global airline in the Gulf region. The airline was founded in 1974, when Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Oman, got together to invest in existing Bahraini airline Gulf Aviation, to create a flag carrier for the four states.
Suffice it to say that the dynamics in the region have changed, and that really started with Dubai launching Emirates in 1985, chipping away at Gulf Air’s market share and dominance. Of course we then also saw Qatar launch Qatar Airways, Abu Dhabi launch Etihad, and Oman launch Oman Air.
As that happened, Gulf Air’s importance in the region continued to shrink, as it struggled to compete with peers and innovate. The airline had an outdated fleet, and didn’t have a global route network. However, the company has spent the past several years undergoing a major transformation, whereby the airline has modernized its fleet, opened a new terminal at its hub, and has focused on its core strengths.
For example, Gulf Air’s long haul fleet now consists primarily of Boeing 787-9s, featuring excellent Apex Suites in business class. The airline has 10 of these in its fleet, with a further two to be delivered.
That’s not all — the airline is also taking delivery of 16 Airbus A321neos (including some “LR” variants), and some of these feature fully flat beds in business class, which is awesome for regional flights. The airline is certainly becoming a more appealing option, though as of now the carrier only flies as far West as London, and as far East as Manila.
Bottom line
As of October 2025, Gulf Air is launching flights from Bahrain to New York. The service will be operated by the Boeing 787-9, and this is the first time in decades that Gulf Air has served the United States. This is an exciting development for Gulf Air, as it’ll be by far the carrier’s longest route.
I’m curious to see how this route performs. The airline certainly faces a lot of competition, but at least the 787 has great economics…
What do you make of Gulf Air launching United States flights?
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