Gulf Air

Gulf Air is the flag carrier of Bahrain, flying from Bahrain International Airport with a fleet built around the Airbus A320neo family and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Once the shared carrier of several Gulf states, it now operates as Bahrain's national airline on a network across the Middle East, the subcontinent, Europe and Asia, positioned as a boutique full-service carrier against its much larger neighbours.

Flying for Gulf Air

Recruitment runs on three tracks, and which one applies depends entirely on nationality. The Second Officer cadet pathway is the airline's early-career pipeline and is reserved strictly for Bahraini nationals. Direct-entry Captains and direct-entry First Officers on the A320 family are open to expatriate ICAO licence holders, with two published routes into the First Officer seat: roughly 1,500 hours total including 250 on A320 fly-by-wire and 500 on multi-crew jets, or a lower-hour route at around 700 hours total.

Selection follows the Gulf pattern of computer-based aptitude and psychometric testing, technical assessment, simulator evaluation and interviews, with a class 1 medical throughout. The published dual-route structure is worth reading closely before applying, because which threshold a candidate meets determines the evidence they need to assemble.