Operations at Bahrain International Airport’s (BIA) new passenger terminal began on Thursday, marking the dawn of a new era for the country’s aviation sector.
Launched in February 2016, the terminal project is the largest investment in Bahrain’s aviation sector to date and one of the most important national projects in the kingdom’s history, said the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and BAC chairman, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed.
He said in comments published by the official Bahrain News Agency: “I would like to thank our strategic partners, contractors, all companies working in Bahrain International Airport, and all parties involved for their strong support for this national project.
“We are very grateful for their assistance and contributions throughout, which were vital to the smooth and successful launch of the airport’s new infrastructure. Their contributions helped to ensure the project’s on schedule and on budget completion, without disrupting operations at the legacy airport, which has served the kingdom efficiently for decades.”
Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, operated the first commercial flight to Delhi while the first incoming flight to the new terminal was also a Gulf Air flight that arrived from Lahore.
The facility has been expanded with a funding of AED3.7 billion ($1 billion) from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. The fund facilitated the project on behalf of the UAE, which extended AED9.1 billion to Bahrain in 2013 as part of its commitment to the GCC Development Program.
The project also includes car parks for 5,500 vehicles, two receptions, hospitality lounges for first and business class travellers, a building dedicated to private aviation, an expanded Duty Free area and a hotel.
BAC CEO Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah said: “This milestone is the culmination of years of careful planning and hard work. It marks the start of an exciting new chapter in the kingdom’s rich aviation history and positions BIA as the most modern boutique airport in the region.”
The launch of the new facility will be a major contributor to trade, supporting the growth of tourism and travel in Bahrain, he added.
The project was completed in four years and is four times the size of the old terminal.
It will increase the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers per year.
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