RP grants more flights to Gulf Air

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The government has entitled Bahrain’s flag carrier Gulf Air two more flights to Manila and two others to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here following two days of talks that ended last Saturday night.

Reliable sources said representatives of both sides signed a "confidential memorandum of understanding" at the end of their talks at the Mimosa Leisure Estate here, granting Gulf Air two more flights to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on top of its existing four flights weekly.

"But there was no assurance that Gulf Air will utilize the privilege," the source said.

The source added that the agreement does not also contain an assurance that the flight privilege to the DMIA would also be utilized.

The source, who was privy to the talks, said that "if past actions are any guide, it is highly unlikely that Gulf Air will exercise its new rights to fly to Clark."

He said the airline "already enjoys entitlements to serve the Bahrain-Clark route twice weekly but has not used this privilege since obtaining it in 2003."

He said if Gulf Air really plans to use its Clark privilege, it would have done so when the entitlement was granted in 2003.

The source said the two panels hammered out a compromise deal which, however, provided that Gulf Air and the Philippine Airlines should reach a code-sharing agreement within 21 days before the additional flights could be granted to the former.

"If the carriers fail to do so, a fresh round of talks between the air panels will take place," he said. — Ding Cervantes