As world oil prices soar, airlines in the Middle East are also finding it hard to maintain all their routes - even though the priceless commodity is in their back garden.
On Tuesday, Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air said it was closing services to four destinations - Damascus, Athens, Milan and Kuala Lumpur in the next few weeks.
Services to Damascus will be stopped from March 2 while flights to Athens and Milan will be stopped from March 12 and Kuala Lumpur from March 25. This follows the announcement of the closure of Entebbe and Geneva routes earlier this month, the airline said.
"The move comes as the airline seeks to address the economic challenges faced in recent times; in particular, the local and regional political situation, the high price of fuel and low passenger numbers," it said in a statement.
Gulf Air said the decision has been taken to allow the airline to use its fleet and resources in the most efficient way by concentrating on high-demand, high-yield routes to ensure that its core customer base is served effectively. - |
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