Captain Waleed Al Alawi has been named the airline’s CEO by Gulf Air, the official carrier of Bahrain.
According to a Gulf Air statement, Captain Al Alawi played a key role in developing and carrying out the airline’s Boutique Strategy, launched in 2018, with customer centricity at its core. Captain Al Alawi served as Gulf Air’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer and later as Acting Chief Executive Officer.
Gulf Air noted that since rethinking its approach, it has won numerous international accolades, the most recent of which was the title of “World’s Most Improved Airline 2022” at the 2022 Skytrax World Airline Awards.
In 1980, Captain Al Alawi started his career in aviation with Gulf Air, where he later advanced to the position of training captain. Captain Al Alawi had a great career with Bahrain Royal Flight for 18 years prior to returning to Gulf Air in 2017.
Zayed R Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce and Chairman to the Board of Directors at Gulf Air, commented: “We are delighted to make this announcement and proud to add that Captain Al Alawi is the first Gulf Air CEO to have started his career with Gulf Air as a Cadet Pilot and reached all the way to the helm of the company. We are confident that his knowledge and experience will take the company to newer heights and wish him all the best in his new challenge.”
Captain Al Alawi commented: “I am both honoured and humbled by the trust of the Kingdom’s leadership, and the airline’s Board of Directors for appointing me as Gulf Air’s Chief Executive Officer. Gulf Air currently has a great business model and a talented team that uniquely positions it to capitalise on the changing aviation environment. As the industry evolves through restructuring and digital transformation, and with all the developments the airline has been going through lately; Gulf Air is in a position to take the lead in today’s competitive travel market, and to reap the positive outcomes of its Boutique Strategy.”
In addition to his professional qualification, Captain Al Alawi received his Master’s Degree in Aviation Management from City University, UK in 2007.