Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, last flew to Kuala Lumpur back in 2012 (14 years ago) before pulling out, citing commercial reasons including high fuel prices and weak demand.

Malaysia had been trying to invite Gulf Air back to Malaysia since 2018, but it never materialised.

In a plot twist, the relocation of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix to Sepang accelerated Gulf Air’s comeback to Malaysia, and the direct flight commenced on 29 September 2026 ahead of the F1 race.

Now, with the race over and the F1 buzz settling down, Gulf Air will cease the KUL- BAH (GF158) direct flight on 22 October 2026.

Replacing GF158, Gulf Air will then commence KUL-SIN-BAH GF165 with a stop in Singapore starting 26 Oct 2026, allowing it to consolidate passengers before continuing to Bahrain. The airline has been serving the SIN–BAH route for several years, so this “pit-stop” approach makes sense, allowing Gulf Air to fill more seats before continuing the journey to Bahrain.

And since Gulf Air is flying this KUL–SIN sector anyway, it might as well sell tickets on this busy route to generate additional revenue. This is known as a fifth-freedom flight, and Gulf Air has started selling KUL–SIN tickets this week for travel from 26 October 2026 onwards.

The Flight Details

Outbound

The timing for KUL–SIN is really nice, departing at 5:35PM. It’s perfect for getting half a day’s work done before making your way leisurely to the airport.

If you’re continuing to Bahrain, you’ll need to disembark and re-board. That means a 1+ hour transit in SIN T3, giving you just enough time for a quick lounge visit at SIN T3.

Business Class (Falcon Gold) passengers will have access to the SATS Premier Lounge. If you’re flying Economy, you can also access the lounge using various eligible credit cards.

In-bound

The inbound flight from Bahrain is a red-eye, departing at 11:55 PM from Bahrain, which isn’t the most ideal timing. Flying Business Class would certainly make the journey more comfortable and give you a better chance of getting some proper sleep.

But for most of us here in this region, for the journing starting from Singapore, the 2:20 PM SIN–KUL flight is nicely timed. You can checkout from your hotel and make your way to Changi, with enough time to enjoy brunch/lunch at a Changi lounges before your flight.

The Aircraft and Cabin

Gulf Air will be using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on this route, which is a nice widebody option.

Business Class features the well-regarded APEX Suite in a 2-2-2 configuration, known for its generous seat length and legroom.

Economy comes in the standard 3-3-3 configuration, complete with personal IFE.

This is objectively a better cabin product than MH’s 737 narrowbody fleet on KUL–SIN. That said, Singapore Airlines frequently deploys widebody aircraft on this route as well. There’s also Ethiopian Airlines, which operates KUL–SIN as a fifth-freedom service, although its cabin product is less compelling.

While Gulf Air has introduced Starlink on its A320neo fleet, but it is not installed on the 787-9, so you’ll have to make do with the older-generation inflight Wi-Fi.

Revenue Ticket Pricing

At launch, the KUL–SIN route is competitively priced. Based on fares seen on Trip.com, Gulf Air is pricing below Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines on some dates, though there’s no guarantee these fares will stick around.

For a short one-hour flight like KUL–SIN, paying cash for Business Class can be hard to justify. If you really want to try the APEX Suite, redeeming miles could offer better value, which we’ll cover below.

FFP and Redemption

Gulf Air’s FFP is FalconFlyer. The airline is not part of any major airline alliance, such as Oneworld, Star Alliance or SkyTeam, but it does partner with Aeroplan and Etihad Guest.

Therefore for award redemptions, you have three FFP options: FalconFlyer, Aeroplan or Etihad Guest. The redemption rates for one-way are as follows:

For savvy miles chasers in Malaysia, the most accessible option is Etihad Guest, as miles can be transferred from CIMB. You can earn Etihad Guest Miles at 0.67 MPR with the CIMB TWE, or 0.80 MPR with the CIMB e Credit Card. Back in 2025, CIMB even offered a 40% transfer bonus to Etihad which we shared on the BolehMiles Telegram.

At 6,000 Etihad Guest Miles, this can be a good alternative to redeeming Avios to fly Malaysia Airlines, particularly during peak travel periods.

Aeroplan can also be viable, especially when points are sold via Points.com for around 5.5 CPM during promotions. At that price, an Economy redemption for 8000 Aeroplan points would cost around RM440 for the base fare before surcharges, which is quite decent.

FalconFlyer Miles, though, aren’t very accessible to us in Malaysia or Singapore, as there are currently no local banks or fintech companies offering direct transfers. You do however, have the option to transfer via hotel loyalty programs, as we’ll explain below.

Hotel Points Transfer Option for Falcon Miles

Gulf Air has partnerships with Accor or IHG. You can convert Accor Points to Falcon miles at 2 Accor points : 1 FalconFlyer Mile. Alternatively, you can convert IHG Points to Falcon Miles at 5 IHG points : 1 FalconFlyer Mile.

The Accor-to-FalconFlyer conversion should be avoided entirely due to the poor value.

As for IHG, the 5:1 conversion may look poor on paper, but it can actually offer decent value for a short-haul redemption like KUL–SIN.

Here’s how the math works – You can usually buy IHG points for around 0.5 US cents per point (2.04 CPM in Ringgit) during promotions. Factoring in the 5:1 conversion rate, you’re effectively paying around 10.2 CPM for each FalconFlyer Mile.

With KUL–SIN costing 4,500 FalconFlyer Miles, that works out to around RM460 worth of purchased IHG points, which is pretty close to the one-way cash fare shown above. However, this redemption could become much more valuable during peak travel periods when cash fares are higher.

For IHG loyalists with frequent stays, you’ll naturally accumulate IHG points, boosted by elite multipliers, so there’s no need to buy points specifically for this. If you’re slightly short of a redemption, a small top-up could be all you need.

IHG also allows you to earn FalconFlyer Miles instead of IHG points, which works out to around 0.49 MPR (Falcon Miles). However, doing so means giving up your IHG elite bonus multiplier, and the math simply doesn’t work in your favour.

So we don’t recommend doing this. You’re better off earning IHG points as usual and converting them to FalconFlyer Miles only when you actually need them.

Conclusion

Gulf Air’s return to KUL adds another premium widebody option on the KUL–SIN route, with a well-regarded cabin and competitive fares. It also opens up a somewhat direct flight from Malaysia to Bahrain with just a short transit in Singapore.

The main downside is that Gulf Air sits outside the major alliances, so you’ll miss out on Enrich Elite Points, KrisFlyer miles and Oneworld/Star Alliance lounge benefit.

Still, for premium travellers, it’s a welcome addition to KUL–SIN and gives us another interesting option beyond the usual Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

If you don’t have a FalconFlyer account yet, feel free to sign up using our link below. You’ll earn 250 bonus FalconFlyer Miles after booking through the Gulf Air website and completing your first flight. See you in the next post!