| History: |
Gulf Air was established on March
24, 1950 and started operations on July 5, 1950 as Gulf Aviation. The
airline initially provided regional services between Bahrain, Doha and
Dhahran and contract work for oil exploration companies. BOAC was a
major initial shareholder until the governments of Abu Dhabi, Bahrain,
Oman and Qatar purchased BOAC's shares in 1973. With the Foundation
Treaty of January 1, 1974, Gulf Aviation became the national carrier of
the four states and was renamed Gulf Air. Gulf Air enjoyed a period of
steady growth until the early 2000s, when competition let to losses. The
government of Qatar withdrew from the airline in December 2002. On
September 13, 2005, Abu Dhabi also withdrew from Gulf Air to concentrate
on Etihad, their new national carrier, which began operations in late
2003. Gulf Air remains the national airline of Bahrain and Oman. |
