Gulf Air moves home to its brand new terminal in Bahrain, with new ground experience

Gulf Air today moved its operations to the brand new terminal in Bahrain’s International Airport in Manama. The new terminal couldn’t be more different than its predecessor, as it is awash with light thanks to its huge picture windows and high ceilings. With the new terminal, comes new ground experiences for passengers, including brand new dedicated check-in zones for both Falcon Gold and economy passengers as well as a new lounge to reflect the future vision for the airline.

“The new terminal will support the strategic vision for Bahrain to strengthen its position as a hub and facilitate the movement of millions of passengers and Gulf Air takes pride to be a vital operator in the state-of-the-art terminal,” state Gulf Air.

The brand new Falcon Gold lounge that is double in size and capacity compared to the previous one in the old airport. As the terminal and lounge are opening mid-pandemic, the lounge reflects the updated health and safety measures that have become industry standard.

The lounge certainly has a different feel from its previous incarnation. There are more flowing lines and a lighter touch to the interior design. However the rich dark wooden elements and lavish grandiose seating remain as a nod to the region it operates from. “The lounge will reflect new concepts of modern premium lounges yet keeping with the legacy and rich history of the 70-year old Gulf Air brand.”

While a number of features remain from the previous lounge, such as showers, prayer spaces, food stations, and children’s areas, they have been revamped. There is also a quiet area along with live cooking stations and new food & beverage concepts. However, we’re really excited to see a pool table in the lounge, something that’s quite rare to see and a great way to spend your time during a connection.

Being Bahrain, and like all other Middle Eastern hub airports, the lounge remains operational around the clock and with a capacity of over 400 passengers at any given time, the new Falcon Gold lounge will be available to experience by the airline’s Falcon Gold passengers as well as its Black, Gold and Silver Falconflyer members.

It’s great to see the airline still investing in a ground product, and while not as ostentatious as rival Boutique carrier’s Oman Air, it’s certainly reflective of the Gulf Air design aesthetic with the warm tones reflecting the design touches in the Falcon Gold cabin. There are some great nods to the brand image, such as the slatted partitions reflecting the chevron graphic design found throughout the passenger experience although we’d love to see just a handful more of these design elements in some way too.

The lounge is certainly serene, effortless and true to its regional roots. This is one lounge we certainly plan on visiting when the pandemic subsides and we can once again travel.