Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, will launch its new daily non-stop flights to Singapore on 27 October 2024 using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The non-stop service from Bahrain will operate daily on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring the Falcon Gold class. With 26 lie-flat beds, the luxury cabin offers increased personal space, gourmet meals and enhanced in-flight entertainment. Guests in Economy can benefit from on-board Wi-Fi, customised menus and kids activity packs, all whilst experiencing Gulf Air’s signature Arabic hospitality.
Daily flights from London Heathrow depart at 09:30am, arriving into Singapore at 12:30pm the following day. Flights from Manchester depart at 10:25am, operating five times per week between Wednesday and Sunday, and arriving in Singapore at 12:30pm the following day. Gulf Air flights depart Singapore daily at 20:25, arriving separately into both London Heathrow and Manchester at 06:35am the following morning. Customers from Europe can easily transit through Bahrain International Airport, a modern hub with world-class facilities and home to Gulf Air’s Falcon Lounge. The new Singapore daily flights strengthen Gulf Air’s connectivity in south-east Asia, adding to its existing non-stop routes to Manila and Bangkok.
Joanna Patterson, Director of Sales for Gulf Air, said, “UK travellers now have a great-value, easy option for accessing Singapore, via our Bahrain hub. This new daily route expands our commitment to the Southeast Asian market and is a key step in our global network expansion strategy. Singapore is a vibrant hub for business and tourism, and we’re thrilled to offer UK travellers greater access to this renowned destination.”
Finnair strengthens summer network to America and Asia
Finnair is continuing to grow its global presence, adding extra long-haul flights from its Helsinki hub to America and Asia next summer. The news means the airline will boast its largest ever U.S. schedule from Helsinki in 2025, with flights to Asia also at their highest levels since 2019. From 30 March 2025, the journey to Japan will be easier than ever, as Finnair increases flights from Helsinki to Osaka up to daily, an increase from five weekly flights this summer. These flights will support Osaka’s position on the global stage, as the city gears up to host World Expo 2025.
The airline’s newest long-haul route to Nagoya, relaunched this summer, will also benefit from extra flights, with services doubling from twice per week this summer to four times weekly. These increases come as Finnair prepares to operate daily flights to both Tokyo-Haneda and Tokyo-Narita airports next summer, giving customers the choice of 25 weekly flights between Europe and Japan. Flights to China are also set to receive a boost, with the Nordic carrier’s Helsinki to Shanghai service set to increase to four times weekly, up from three times weekly this summer. Next summer’s expansion will also see Finnair increase its transatlantic offering, with two thirds of the airline’s North American destinations set to receive extra flights.
Direct flights to Dallas, the home of oneworld partner American Airlines, have continued to rise in popularity since the route’s launch in 2022. In summer 2025, Finnair will now offer up to 11 weekly flights to Texas, giving customers the choice of double daily flights each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – an 83% increase on this summer’s six weekly flights. Finnair’s popular route to Los Angeles, taking customers from Helsinki to Hollywood, will see flights increase to five times per week, up from three times per week in summer 2024. Chicago, known as the ‘Windy City’ will also benefit from up to daily flights next summer, an increase from the five times per week operation currently on offer, while Seattle will receive two extra weekly flights during peak periods, bringing the service up to five times weekly in 2025.
Anssi Partanen, Finnair Market Director Europe, said: “Summer 2025 is already set to be a sensational one here at Finnair, thanks to our boosted long-haul schedule to Asia and the US. Our customers have always valued our seamless connections to Asia, so to be expanding our presence in both China and Japan – including on our newest route to Nagoya – shows the continued trust in Finnair as a leading long-haul carrier. And with the World Expo set to be held in Japan next year, we know these extra flights will prove more popular than ever. But we are equally excited to be expanding across the Atlantic, boasting our largest ever schedule between Helsinki and the US, which shows our commitment to connecting customers between Europe, Asia and the US.”
This expansion comes as Finnair gets ready to increase its Heathrow to Helsinki route from four to six times per day from 27 October, with these new long-haul services having been timed to allow for easy connections from London, Manchester, Edinburgh and the Irish capital Dublin.
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