BAHRAIN's national carrier Gulf Air has been ranked among the top 10 global airlines for achieving the highest on-time performance of its flights for the month of January 2013. The airline is also among the finalists for the 2012 FlightStats On-time Performance Service Awards for the Middle East region. Releasing the list of global airlines' on time flight punctuality for the month of January 2013, Flightstats, the leader in global flight and airport information services, has ranked Gulf Air at the eighth position with a punctuality rate of 85.21 percent. The only other Middle East airline in the list is Saudi Arabian Airlines at the ninth position. Flightstats also announced Gulf Air as one of the finalists for the “2012 On-time Performance Service Awards” for the Middle East region. The awards recognize operational excellence in air travel for all commercial carriers globally and regionally. Gulf Air Acting Chief Executive Officer Maher Salman Al Musallam said “being ranked among top 10 global airlines is a significant milestone for Gulf Air that bears testimony to our on-time performance excellence. Gulf Air has been ranked number one among the Middle East full service airlines throughout last year and we are proud of our consistent achievement of flight punctuality. This is an important factor for our customers, particularly our time-conscious business passengers, who have to reach their destinations on-time to conduct their business transactions.” To determine the finalists for the award, FlightStats examines flight status and arrival data aggregated from global sources including civil aviation authorities, airlines, airports, and major airline reservation systems. The result of the winners will be announced on Feb. 19, 2013. — SG
