Deal includes an option for six more aircraft and 40 General Electric engines; Gulf Air to phase out Rolls-Royce engines.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has announced the purchase of 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft for its national carrier, Gulf Air, in a deal valued at $7 billion. The agreement was revealed on July 16 during a meeting between Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and former U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House.
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The contract also includes an option for an additional six Dreamliner aircraft, reinforcing Gulf Air’s efforts to modernize and expand its wide-body fleet. As part of the package, 40 General Electric GEnx-1B engines will be supplied, signaling a complete transition away from Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, which currently power part of the fleet.
The decision to switch engine suppliers is driven by both technical and operational considerations. Gulf Air, like several other global airlines, has faced persistent issues with the availability of Rolls-Royce spare engines. One of the airline’s Boeing 787-9s was grounded for nearly two years due to a lack of replacement parts.
Gulf Air currently operates a fleet of ten Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with two more scheduled for delivery over the next two years. The carrier’s narrow-body fleet consists of aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus.
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The announcement is part of a broader $17 billion investment package that Bahrain is committing to the U.S. economy, as highlighted by U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick.
Source and images: Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce – @howardlutnick | Gulf Air. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
