Gulf Air to resume nonstop Bahrain-New York flights after decades-long hiatus
Gulf Air is planning to resume nonstop flights between Bahrain International Airport (BAH) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in October 2025.
The announcement was made during the visit of Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalif and the kingdom’s prime minister to the United States, where they met with President Trump on July 16, 2025.
The new service will start on October 1, 2025, and will be operated three times a week with a Boeing 787-9 fitted with 282 seats in a two-class configuration (26 “Falcon Gold” business class suites and 256 economy class seats).
At JFK, Gulf Air will arrive at Terminal 1, although it will move to the new Terminal One, the airport’s brand-new international terminal, which is currently under completion and is expected to open in mid-2026.
The flights are already available to book via Gulf Air’s website, although a notice warns that they are still subject to governmental approval.
The Bahraini flag carrier last operated regular nonstop flights to the US in 1997. At the time it used an Airbus A340 aircraft to operate this service, which continued from New York-JFK on to Houston (IAH).
The resumption of US flights has long been in sight for Gulf Air, which in the last few years, under the leadership of its current CEO, Jeffrey Goh, has been through a reorganization of its business. Gulf Air has been focusing on its more profitable routes and redefining its brand and market positioning to better compete with neighboring hubs in the Gulf.
In January 2025, the US Department of Transportation (DoT) granted operating authority to Gulf Air, opening the door for the launch of US operations. This decision followed the granting of a Category 1 safety rating from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to the Kingdom of Bahrain in November 2024.
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The post Gulf Air to resume nonstop Bahrain-New York flights after decades-long hiatus appeared first on AeroTime.
Gulf Air is planning to resume nonstop flights between Bahrain International Airport (BAH) and New York’s John F.…
The post Gulf Air to resume nonstop Bahrain-New York flights after decades-long hiatus appeared first on AeroTime.
