Bahrain : Bahrain’s aviation sector saw significant growth during the first half of 2023, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operating and managing body of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), and Gulf Air, the Kingdom’s national carrier, jointly announced.

The airport and airline both recorded a steady increase in passengers and air traffic compared to the same period last year, reflecting the success of their respective strategies and the ongoing recovery of the global aviation industry.

Over the past six months, Gulf Air welcomed 2,798,131 passengers, a 39.7pc spike compared to 2,001,890 in 2022, and handled 38300 tons of cargo, Meanwhile BIA welcomed 4,098,582 passengers, up 43.2pc from 2,862,976 last year, and recorded 44,160 air traffic movements, a 19.8pc increase from 36,869 in 2022. Cargo tonnage handled reached 177,070, a 6.34pc drop from 189,060 the previous year.,

Gulf Air CEO Captain Waleed Al Alawi said: “Our H1 growth comes on the back of efforts to further develop our extensive network by adding 7 new destinations and resuming popular routes as part of our successful summer campaign. Served by our modern fleet of 34 aircraft, our routes to Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; Goa, India; Mykonos, Greece; Nice, France; Bodrum, Turkey; and Malaga, Spain, to name a few, have proven incredibly popular. We look forward to building on our performance, cementing Bahrain’s position as a leading tourism destination, and showcasing the Kingdom’s renowned hospitality to the world.”

BAC Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah said: “Delivering excellent customer service while further enhancing air connectivity and route development are major areas of focus at BIA. Working alongside our partners, we are making steady progress towards achieving our strategic goals, as can be seen from the uptick in passengers and air traffic movements at the airport during the first half of 2023.”

-B