Gulf Air highlights equipment pooling, and skilled workforce at IATP conference

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has stressed the need for pooling expensive equipment such as engines, auxiliary power units (APU) and nacelle parts during the 127th International Airlines Technical Pool (IATP) Conference.

In his opening speech, Gulf Air Chief Technical Officer Jamal Hashim also emphasised the increasing operating costs due to volatility and the need for sharing all other technical issues affecting air transport operations.

Hashim also pointed out the rising demand for talented and skilled workforce in the airline industry and called for an immediate requirement to establish more training organisations and programmes.

The Conference sponsored by Gulf Air was attended by more than 120 airline and associate members and discussions centred on sustainability, carbon emissions, digital transformation, and air traffic efficiency.

The attendees emphasised the need for mutual cooperation, sharing of resources, and aircraft recovery to improve operational efficiency during the Conference held from March 13 – 15 at the Gulf Hotel in Manama.

Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed Al Alawi praised the Conference’s alignment with the Kingdom’s vision to support and promote the aviation and tourism sectors, as well as the diversity of topics discussed.

IATP includes 123 airline members and 40 associate members (service providers and OEM) in its membership and operates worldwide in about 900 stations, with pooling activities covering almost all aircraft types.

Additionally, all member airlines meet twice yearly at conferences held in March and October in different countries.