Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, today announced the layoff of 200 employees, attributed to low sales due to social unrest in Bahrain and the region.
“Due to the situation in the region as a whole as well as the Kingdom of Bahrain, Gulf Air witnessed a 25 percent drop in bookings in the first five months of 2011,” it said the statement on Monday.
The company said 200 employees were laid off, adding 100 of the laid-off employees have appealed against the decision, and 11 were reinstated.
Gulf Air has struggled to find a niche after former owners Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar gave up their stakes to establish their own low-cost carriers. It now focuses on geographical routes in the Middle East to compete with airlines like Qatar Airways and Emirates Airline that serve global business.
