Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has developed for the first time an in-house type rating course for its pilots who fly Airbus to be qualified to fly its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet. Approved by Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs, the course was fully conducted by Gulf Air’s experienced Bahraini instructors. The first pilots who successfully completed the course were Captain Jasim Abu Idrees and Captain Mohamed Shabib who were transferred from Airbus fleet to the airline’s flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. With the launch of this program, all future Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner type rating and operational training will continue to be under Gulf Air’s Flight Operations and Training administration.
Commenting on this milestone, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Capt. Waleed AlAlawi said: “Congratulations to Capt. Jasim and Capt. Mohamed for being the first two pilots who graduated from this in-house type rating course. We’re proud to have introduced a course that is fully developed and conducted by a 100% Bahraini team and targeted to all Gulf Air pilots. More convenient and time effective, the program will allow us to move around our flying talents between Airbus and Boing fleet”. He also added: “I’d like to thank the Operations Division, headed by Chief Operations Officer Captain Suhail Ismaeel, for managing this great initiative and working closely with our partners in Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs to make this a reality”.
Capt. Abu Idress and Capt. Shabib both served the airline for 30 and 27 years respectively and their careers progressed throughout the years from Second Officers to First Officers and then to Captains as well as type rating instructors and examiners.
Recently, and in line with its commitment to invest in Bahraini workforce, Gulf Air has appointed experienced Bahraini professionals in various roles in the Operations Division as well as Bahraini First Officers and Second Officers . Gulf Air is a leader in the Bahrainization program in the Kingdom as it provides the opportunity for local experienced talents to work in its various areas of the airline’s business and is committed to invest in its Bahraini workforce and their career development. The airline continues to provide opportunities for Bahraini nationals to take over higher management positions in the company.
