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Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, today signed a three-year sponsorship deal with London-based Queens Park Rangers Football Club.

The deal will see the Club carry the airline’s branding on all team kit, including First Team home, away and third shirts, promoting the airline and Bahrain globally.

The partnership will also see the introduction of a local youth football scouting program and various community based initiatives in Bahrain and London. Each program will be specifically tailored to promote the development of grass roots football in the Kingdom and promote Bahraini sporting talent internationally.

“This is a very exciting deal for Gulf Air and the people of Bahrain. Like QPR, Gulf Air is building a phenomenal success story and with it a powerful global brand that has a world class leading product,” says Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Björn Näf.

“Bahrain and the UK have long had strong political and financial ties so we are proud to continue this tradition. As the national carrier, Gulf Air is proud to fly the flag of Bahrain around the globe and through our association with QPR we are confident that we are helping educate a wider audience about Business Friendly Bahrain and its award-winning airline. With the freest economy in one of the fastest growing regions of the world, Bahrain is uniquely placed and offers unrivalled investment opportunities across a wide range of sectors.”

“This deal offers a multitude of business and sporting opportunities for the people of Bahrain and we are working hard with QPR to roll out a variety of exciting initiatives aimed at supporting grass roots football in Bahrain. In the meantime we wish the Club every success for the forthcoming season and we can’t wait to see the ‘SuperHoops’ take the field with Gulf Air proudly on their chests,” concludes Näf.

Chairman of QPR Holdings Limited Flavio Briatore echoed similar remarks: “I am extremely excited and privileged to be announcing a partnership with Gulf Air,” said Mr Briatore.

“The relationship brings together two brands that have mutual objectives and desires to move forward and embrace a global audience.”

“It is a very exciting time for everyone involved with the Club. Today we are one step closer to achieving our goal of making Queens Park Rangers Football Club a global brand and putting Loftus Road on the world football map.”

Formula One Boss Bernie Ecclestone, a major stake holder in QPR, gave his nod for the tie up with Gulf Air: “We are very pleased to have the support of Gulf Air in helping QPR to achieve another move forward,” he said.

Vice-Chairman of QPR Holdings Limited Amit Bhatia added: “We are extremely honoured and delighted to have Gulf Air as such an important and strategic partner, who shares our vision of excellence and progress.”

“As we continue to work hard to revolutionise QPR as a Club and a brand, it is fantastic to have the encouragement from Gulf Air, who have seen the enormous potential of the Club to migrate into the Premiership. The energy within the Club is ever-increasing and we are extremely excited about the forthcoming season.”

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About Gulf Air

Gulf Air was founded in 1950. Today, it is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, and is the only truly pan Gulf carrier in the region. The airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 42 cities in 27countries. The current fleet of Gulf Air consists of 29 aircraft.

On January 17th Gulf Air Board of Directors confirmed the appointment of Björn Näf as the Chief Executive Officer for Bahrain’s national carrier.

Mr. Näf, who brings across the broad experience in aviation industry, has been instrumental in implementing the new revamped network launched on July 1 and is also the commander of a major alignment program to turnaround Gulf Air. The plan entails a simplified and more efficient organization structure; an improved network with lower connection times and better service to key destinations, better on-board product, better customer service on the ground and a better punctuality, which has been improving under his command.

The new network, based on a "wave" model, offers as many as 588 flights every week in the Middle East with more non-stop flights than any other airline.

The airline is also planning to re-fleet itself over the next five years to further strengthen its presence. It recently signed a deal worth nearly US $ 6 billion with Boeing Co. to purchase up to 24 Boeing 787 aircraft and another deal with Airbus for 35 aircraft, including A320s and A330s.

The airline aims to become the carrier of choice. Gulf Air’s onboard service caters high quality products and services, including the innovative, unique and award winning Sky Chefs and Sky Nannies.

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