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Gulf Air is in talks with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad to deepen an existing codeshare agreement, the Bahrain carrier’s CCO said, as the airline seeks to expand its network and become the region’s boutique airline. “The scope of a partnership with Etihad can include domains in which we might find strengths," Vincent Coste said Sunday. The partnership might expand to include maintenance and cargo handling, but is currently focused on the codeshare, he said. That agreement began March 20, according to Etihad’s statement at the time. The state-owned carrier, which flies five Boeing 787 jets equipped with Rolls Royce engines, isn’t facing issues with the Trent 1000 engine, Coste said, after Rolls recommended extra checks for excessive wear. Gulf Air plans to continue flying the Boeing 787 and will get 10 more jets by 2020, he said.<br/>

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways will offer wirelessly streamed movies and television shows to passengers on mainly short-haul flights as it removes entertainment screens from its Airbus A320 narrow-body fleet. The airline, which is embarking on a turnaround strategy after years of heavy losses, announced a new economy-class product for its 23 A320 jets on Sunday. Passengers will be encouraged to connefybuct their personal devices to an onboard streaming service that does not rely on internet satellite to watch entertainment content. All 23 A320s are expected to be refitted by August, the airline said, while a senior executive said the removal of screens would save the airline 18 tonnes in weight a year. The weight reduction will mean aircraft use less fuel, a major operating cost for all carriers. The A320s are mainly used on short-haul regional flights but also to cities within five hours’ flying of Abu Dhabi, Etihad said. The airline has downsized its growth ambitions and is focusing on point-to-point traffic<br/>