Bahrain: The Latest, TRAVEL - April 16, 2026

Gulf Air is Planning Several Route Expansions for the Summer: Here’s All You Need To Know

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Bahrain’s airspace reopened on 9 April, and Gulf Air has since resumed operations at Bahrain International Airport, operating limited daily flights to the Kingdom. In a recent announcement, the airline said that a gradual resumption of its complete service is ongoing. Something travellers from Bahrain can look forward to, though, is Gulf Air’s plans to cover more than 50 destinations globally by June 2026. Here’s what’s confirmed and when each wave of routes will come back.

Bahrain and Dammam

Gulf Air operated from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam throughout the disruption, with interim operations from that hub continuing until 30 April 2026. The return to Bahrain International Airport is being phased, with new destinations added in batches through April, May, and June rather than all at once.

Flights already operating from Bahrain include Riyadh, London Heathrow, Jeddah, Muscat, Dubai, Nairobi, Lahore, Dhaka, Islamabad, and Istanbul, with Abu Dhabi returning to the schedule before the end of April.

21 April: Indian Subcontinent and European Gateways

The first major wave lands on 21 April, with services resuming to Delhi, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Paris, Frankfurt, and Bangkok. This single date restores a substantial portion of Gulf Air’s Indian subcontinent network alongside two of its most-travelled European routes.

1 May: The Bulk of the Network Returns

The largest single tranche comes on 1 May, when Gulf Air reinstates flights to Doha, Bangalore, Goa, Munich, Moscow, Milan, Athens, Casablanca, Cairo, Manila, the Maldives, Colombo, Kuwait, Madinah, Dammam, Karachi, and Amman. Seventeen destinations in one go, spanning the Gulf, South Asia, East Africa, Europe, and North Africa. By this point, Gulf Air’s network is well into double figures and covering most of its core global corridors.

15 May: Manchester, Rome, Singapore, and Guangzhou

By mid-May, the airline adds four more routes: Manchester, Rome, Guangzhou, and Singapore. The return of Manchester is particularly notable for passengers with connections to the north of England, while Singapore restores one of the airline’s key Southeast Asian links.

June: Crossing 50 Destinations and Launching Summer Routes

The final phase, beginning 1 June, pushes the network past the 50-destination mark. London Gatwick, Larnaca, Baku, Tbilisi, Shanghai, New York, and Al-Qassim all join the schedule, completing the restoration of Gulf Air’s transatlantic service and extending reach into the Caucasus and mainland China.

Alongside the reinstated routes, Gulf Air is also launching its summer 2026 seasonal destinations: Geneva, Málaga, Nice, and El Alamein. These four are time-limited additions to the schedule and won’t be available year-round, so if any of them feature in your summer plans, it is worth booking sooner rather than later.

What To Know About Scheduling

Gulf Air has been clear that timetables remain subject to change depending on how the regional situation develops. The airline is monitoring airspace conditions in coordination with the relevant authorities and will adjust services if needed. If you’re planning, check gulfair.com closer to your departure date or book through a travel agent who can track any schedule changes on your behalf.

Flights can be booked at gulfair.com, through the Gulf Air mobile app, or via authorised travel agents.

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