Gulf Air to buy up to 50 Airbus planes: minister

Paris

Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air is planning to buy up to 50 Airbus aircraft, the country's Information Minister Isa bin Abdulrahman Al Hammadi said Tuesday.

The minister said the massive new contract was discussed between His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and French President Francois Hollande during a meeting in Paris.

"Gulf Air met today with Airbus and discussed the airline's future narrow- and wide-body fleet requirements -- up to 50 aircraft," the minister said in an interview.

"Discussion will be finalised by the end of the year and an announcement will be made during the Bahrain International Air show", which takes place in January 2016.

The two leaders discussed several "mega-projects" the minister added, as the kingdom plans to build a new airport terminal and a second causeway linking it to Saudi Arabia.

Also on the agenda were the crises in Syria and Yemen, including efforts to combat the financing of the Islamic State jihadist group.