I hadn't travelled abroad since 2019 as a consequence of the pandemic, so with the world starting to open up, I looked for somewhere to go over Easter.
A trip to Toronto looked interesting, not least as I have never been to Canada. However, once everything had been sorted out, the cheap flight on Icelandair was no longer as cheap, so I had to look elsewhere, and so settled on Dubai. The last time I travelled here, I flew with Gulf Air via Bahrain, and the flights were notable for both a good level of service from the crew and not being very busy. As a consequence, a good fare found me booking with them again for this trip.
I flew overnight from London on 787 A9C-FF. This was my first time on a Dreamliner, but my hopes for an empty flight again were thwarted, with the aircraft being full. Departure was delayed from London for some reason, meaning it was after 11pm before take off, albeit a fox ran alongside the aircraft for part of the taxy out.
The crew didn't serve the food until a couple of hours after departure, so - coupled with the lights going on 90 minutes before landing for the breakfast service - I hadn't managed any sleep by the time 'FF touched down at 0700 the next morning.
LX-WCV was the first aircraft in the book as we taxied to the terminal, getting the trip off to an excellent start. I soon completed the transit procedures and the terminal gave excellent views across the runway.
No cameras were allowed, and the airport wasn't particularly busy, but there were several interesting aircraft, many present as a result of the large US Navy presence in Bahrain. On the civilian side, the Etihad and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi aircraft were notable, along with the large number of DHL aircraft.
Here is what I saw over three hours at the airport before I left for Dubai:
168980 Boeing 737-7AFC (C-40A)(WL) United States Navy
A6-AEE Airbus A321-231SL Etihad
A6-ANW Airbus A320-214SL Air Arabia
A6-FMN Boeing 737-8 MAX FlyDubai
A6-WZC Airbus A321-271N Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
A9C-AB Airbus A320-214 Gulf Air
A9C-AC Airbus A320-214 Gulf Air
A9C-AD Airbus A320-214 Gulf Air
A9C-AE Airbus A320-214 Gulf Air
A9C-AF Airbus A320-214 Gulf Air
A9C-AK Airbus A320-214 Gulf Air
A9C-AL Airbus A320-214 Gulf Air
A9C-CE Airbus A321-231 Gulf Air
A9C-DHQBoeing 767-281(BDSF) DHL International Aviation
A9C-DHRBoeing 767-281(BDSF) DHL International Aviation
A9C-DHSBoeing 767-323ER(WL)(BCF) DHL International Aviation
A9C-DHTBoeing 767-323ER(WL)(BDSF) DHL International Aviation
A9C-DHYBoeing 767-323ER(WL)(BCF) DHL International Aviation
A9C-FC Boeing 787-9 Gulf Air
A9C-FF Boeing 787-9 Gulf Air
A9C-TA Airbus A320-251N Gulf Air
A9C-TB Airbus A320-251N Gulf Air
A9C-TD Airbus A320-251N Gulf Air
A9C-TE Airbus A320-251N Gulf Air
AP-BLB Airbus A320-214 Pakistan International
HZ-SNB Boeing 727-223(A)(F)
LX-WCV Boeing 747-4R7F Cargolux
N3221C Airbus A321-211
N640GT Boeing 767-3S1ER Atlas Air
P4-LAE Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules Lynden Air Cargo
VT-AXP Boeing 737-8HG(WL) Air India Express
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