Gulf Air began serving the oil fields in the Middle East. As of 2010 it flies to 40 international destinations, mainly in the Middle East and Europe and, through code-sharing with other major airlines, it can send passengers around the world and back.
Gulf Air is headquartered in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. The award-winning airline pioneered the Sky Nanny concept which provides nannies to keep children entertained on long-haul flights, the airline's history page notes. The airline won awards for its food in first and business classes for four years in a row from Sky Trax World Airlines Awards.
The airline sponsors the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix races annually. It also is a key participant in Bahrain's "Think Pink" fight against breast cancer. It started out flying seven-passenger commuter planes and in 2010 Gulf Air flew mostly Airbuses.
