Gulf Air is in talks with Airbus and Boeing over its plane orders and expects to make a decision by year-end, the airline's chief executive has said.

The struggling airline, which is fully owned by Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, has 35 Airbus and 24 Boeing airplanes on order, but said it was reviewing its orders as the airline restructures, according to a report in Gulf Daily News.

'We are constantly in talks with the manufacturers to choose the plane and the number of planes that best suits Gulf Air,' Chief Executive Samer Majali said at an aviation conference in Doha.

When asked when the airline would make a decision, Majali said: 'In the next few weeks, next few months ... but definitely towards the end of the year.'

Majali did not say whether the review with Airbus and Boeing would lead to reduction in planes or a new timeframe for delivery.

The airline has seen three Chief Executives attempt to turn its loss-making operations around since 2002, cutting jobs and realigning its network as previous shareholders Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Oman gave up their stakes in the ailing carrier.