Gulf Air has received a five-star award and a new CEO within the span of a week. The Bahrain airline won the APEX Five Star Major Airline 2026 rating for the third time in a row at the annual APEX Global EXPO held in California, USA from 9 – 11.
On September 18, the airline named Martin Gauss as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective November 4, 2025.
The appointment marks the end of an eventful tenure for outgoing CEO Dr Jeffrey Goh, who oversaw the relaunch of the Gulf Air flights to Nairobi in June, 2025 after a nearly 15-year hiatus. Soon after in July, he oversaw the agreement that would launch direct flights to JFK Airport, New York starting this October 1., as well as the signing of a USD 4.6 billion deal with Boeing to acquire 18 787 Dreamliners.
The last time a Gulf Air plane had landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was in 2012.
“The launch of our Nairobi service marks a significant milestone in Gulf Air’s strategic growth journey. Africa represents a key growth market for the airline, and our expansion into the continent reflects our long-term vision to build a broader, more connected network that meets the evolving needs of our passengers and contributes to our regional development,” Dr Goh commented at the relaunch.
The new CEO, Martin Gauss is now expected to continue flying the airline higher even as competition for the Middle East routes takes new shape. Flydubai is the latest gulf-based airline to launch direct flights from JKIA, while also increasing its operations at Mombasa to daily flights.
Mr Gauss, who left Latvia’s airBaltic in early April, 2025, will largely bank on Gulf Air’s reputation that has seen it win a top award for the third consecutive year. The APEX Five Star Major Airline Award is based on direct customer feedback.
Mr Gauss had been at airBaltic since 2011 but was ousted through a shareholders’ vote of no confidence that was initiated by the country’s Ministry of Transport.
According to Gulf Air Chairman Khalid Taqi, Gauss’s extensive leadership experience in airline transformation, fleet modernisation, and sustainable growth were key aspects leading to his appointment.
“I am grateful to the Board, employees, and all our partners for their tremendous support … together, we faced exceptional challenges and advanced the Group’s transformation toward the future,” Dr Goh said in his parting shot.
