Bahrain International Airport
| Bahrain International Airport مطار البحرين الدولي Maṭār al-Baḥrayn al-dwalī | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||
|
Bahrain International Airport at night | |||||||||||||||
  BAH Location of airport in Bahrain | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Bahrain Airport Company | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Bahrain | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Al Muharraq | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 6 ft / 2 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 26°16′15″N 50°38′01″E / 26.27083°N 50.63361°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | BahrainAirport.com | ||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Statistics (2015) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Bahrain International Airport (IATA: BAH, ICAO: OBBI) (Arabic: مطار البحرين الدولي, maṭār al-Baḥrayn al-dwalī) is the international airport of Bahrain, located in Muharraq, an island about 7 km (4.3 mi) northeast of the capital Manama. It serves as the hub for the national carrier Gulf Air.
History
Early years
The first scheduled commercial airliner to arrive in Bahrain, in 1932, was a flight from London to Delhi operated on a Handley Page H.P.42 aircraft named "Hannibal." The H.P.42 carried only 24 passengers, and the flight from London had taken several days of flying at speeds of 100 miles per hour. Through this regularly scheduled service, Bahrain became established as the Persian Gulf's first international airport.[2]
During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command Central African Wing, being designated as Station # 13. It functioned as a stopover en route to Abadan Airport, Iran or Sharjah Airport, in present-day UAE on the Karachi-Cairo route.[3] From 1943 until Bahrain's independence in December 1971, the Royal Air Force maintained a military installation at the airfield known initially as RAF Bahrain and from 1963 as RAF Muharraq.[4][5] The majority of these facilities were later acquired by the Bahraini flag carrier airline, Gulf Air, while a small portion continues to be utilized by the U.S. Navy as Aviation Support Unit (ASU) Bahrain.
Through the years
In 1936, the operation of H.P.42 aircraft from London to India via Bahrain had been stepped up to a twice-weekly frequency. In 1937, Bahrain saw the regular service of the Empire sea planes. The landing strip of these giants on the water was from where the marina club is located in Mina Salman today. From the 1950s, BOAC operated several services a week through Bahrain. These included weekly services to Karachi, Singapore, Hong Kong and three times a week to Sydney. 1950 was a significant year not only for Muharraq as an international airport, but also for Bahrain's own commercial aviation history. In this year, a new local airline, Gulf Aviation Company, was formed - the forerunner of Gulf Air. The company started with only one aircraft, a second-hand Anson Mark II, which was used initially on services to Dhahran. But within two years, the fleet had expanded to four de Havilland aircraft and DC-3s for use on a steadily growing network in the Persian Gulf. This established Bahrain as an international stage. It was easily the most modern and advanced airport in the Persian Gulf with a good runway, control tower, lighting, communication facilities and even restaurants. It began to attract other carriers such as Middle East Airlines, Air India, Air Ceylon and Iran Air - mostly operating Dakotas. In December 1961, a new passenger terminal opened at the airport. During 1970–1971, RAF Muharraq was scaled back and eventually closed. In December 1971, the airport opened new passenger facilities, which included a wide area that could accommodate four 747 aircraft. In 1976, the airport marked another significant first with the inauguration of supersonic flights, which saw the start up of regular BA Concorde service between London and Bahrain.
In the 1980s and 1990s, major facelifts took place and several major airline companies made the airport a destination. In 1994, a US$100 million terminal was inaugurated.
Development in the 2000s
A BD113m ($300 million) expansion and refurbishment program was launched in the third quarter of 2006 which will see the creation of a new multi-storey car park and retail complex adjacent to the main terminal building. The expansion also includes a full resurfacing of the main runway, a new perimeter fence, state-of-the-art security systems and additional aircraft parking bays. Runway 12R/30L is mostly used as a taxiway.
It was announced on October 8, 2009 that BHD 1.8 billion expansion of Bahrain International Airport is going to start in 2010. The expansion, planned over the next 30 years, will triple the passenger capacity to 27 million a year. Work on the airport's expansion officially began in June 2011 and is expected to be completed by 2015. The expanded airport will increase the airport's size by an additional 40,000m², including more than 3,000m² of new retail facilities. It will also create 4 to 5 additional contact gates, 9 remote gates and 40 more check-in counters as well as an enlarged transfer facility amongst several other capacity improvements and value added facilities[6]
In 2010, Bahrain Airport was named as the winner of the Best Airport in the Middle East Award at the Skytrax 2010 World Airport Awards.it alos have received many other awards[7]
Two new terminals will be opened in the next four years as part of the expansion. Terminal Two will be commissioned by 2012 and Terminal 1A will become operational a year later. The expansion will include all modern facilities, including leisure areas, shopping centers, hotels and anything else that a modern traveler needs, will be incorporated in the new development. The expansion will also include a swimming pool. The present terminal building (Terminal 1) will be demolished in 2014 and replaced with a brand new state-of-the-art structure within a few years. Construction of Terminal 2 will begin early in 2010. There will be 110 aircraft stands including 87 with contact gates and 23 without. This also includes 17 new remote aircraft parking bays, installation of automatic baggage screening facilities, improved ground handling and overall new passenger handling standards.
The cargo handling capacity will also increase from the present 350,000 cubic meters to 1.5 million cubic meters. All ground handling facilities at the airport were being enhanced in collaboration with the company that manages Munich Airport in Germany. A new VIP terminal and an Airport Center that will includes shops, entertainment facilities and car parking will be developed as part of the project.[8][9][10]
There are plans to build light rail lines which would connect the airport to the rest of Bahrain.[11]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
.jpg)
1Martinair operate aircraft in KLM colour scheme on these routes.
Statistics
| Passengers | Change from previous year | Aircraft operations | Change from previous year | Cargo (metric tons) | Change from previous year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5,581,503 |  8.50% | 73,891 | 1.88% | 334,832 | 10.91% |
| 2006 | 6,696,025 | 19.97% | 80,538 | 9.00% | 357,277 | 6.70% |
| 2007 | 7,320,039 | 9.32% | 87,417 | 8.54% | 385,278 | 7.84% |
| 2008 | 8,758,068 | 19.65% | 101,203 | 17.77% | 369,822 |  4.01% |
| 2009 | 9,053,631 | 3.37% | 103,727 | 2.49% | 342,734 | 7.32% |
| 2010 | 8,898,197 | 1.72% | 106,355 | 2.53% | 329,937 | 3.73% |
| 2011 | 7,793,527 | 12.41% | 102,068 | 4.03% | 292,147 | 11.45% |
| 2012 | 8,479,266 | 8.80% | 105,931 | 3.78% | 262,386 | 10.19% |
| 2013 | 7,371,651 | 13.06% | 90,837 | 14.25% | 245,145 | 6.57% |
| 2014 | 8,102,502 | 9.91% | 96,193 | 5.90% | 219,332 | 10.53% |
| 2015 | 8,586,645 | 5.97% | 100,625 | 4.61% | 207,936 | 5.20% |
| Source: Airports Council International. World Airport Traffic Reports (Years 2005,[20] 2006,[21] 2007,[22] 2009,[23] 2011,[24] 2012,[25] 2013,[26] 2014[27] and 2015[28]) | ||||||
| Rank | City | Number of flights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai,  United Arab Emirates |
111 |
| 2 | Doha,  Qatar |
87 |
| 3 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
76 |
| 4 | Muscat,  Oman |
55 |
| 5 | Kuwait City,  Kuwait |
50 |
| 6 | Riyadh,  Saudi Arabia |
35 |
| 7 | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
31 |
| 8 | Dammam, Saudi Arabia |
30 |
| 9 | Istanbul,  Turkey |
24 |
| 10 | London,  United Kingdom |
21 |
| 11 | Mumbai,  India |
21 |
| 12 | Amman,  Jordan |
20 |
| 13 | Cairo,  Egypt |
19 |
| 14 | Mashhad,  Iran |
17 |
| 15 | Frankfurt,  Germany |
15 |
| Rank | City | Airport | Flight time (in Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dammam, Saudi Arabia |
King Fahad International Airport | 00:23 |
| 2 | Doha, Qatar |
Hamad International Airport | 00:30 |
| 3 | Shiraz, Iran |
Shiraz International Airport | 00:45 |
| 4 | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
Kuwait International Airport | 00:50 |
| 5 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Dubai International Airport | 00:57 |
See also
References
- ↑ Annual Statistics Report 2015
- ↑ Bahrain International Airport :: About Us - History. Bahrainairport.com. Retrieved on 2010-10-19.
- ↑ USAFHRA document 00181427
- ↑ Overseas Stations-M Air of Authority.
- ↑ "RAF Muharraq". Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "Traveller Portal - Bahrain International Airport : Home". Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "Skytrax 2010 World Airport Awards - Middle East". Skytrax. 2010.
- ↑ Local News " Airport Of The Future. Gulf Daily News (2009-10-08). Retrieved on 2010-10-19.
- ↑ Bahrain airport plans two new terminals | Aviation. AMEinfo.com. Retrieved on 2010-10-19.
- ↑ Local News " Jetting into the future. Gulf Daily News (2009-10-08). Retrieved on 2010-10-19.
- ↑ "Sekkah Product Review Pro & Shopping Tips". Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/09/23/a9-bah-sep15/
- 1 2 "Gulf Air Adds New Routes to Pakistan from mid-Dec 2015". Airlineroute.net. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ↑ "الطيران السوري يعيد تسيير الرحلات إلى دمشق في 2 مايو المقبل - الوسط موبايل". Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "Turkish Airlines flights from Bahrain (BAH) to Sabiha Gokcen, Istanbul (SAW).".
- ↑ http://haber.star.com.tr/airstar/thy-isgden-erbil-ve-bahreyn-ucuslarina-basliyor/haber-1045066
- ↑ "2013 summer schedule". Aero Logic. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ↑ "Emirates SkyCargo Freighter Operations get ready for DWC move". Emirates SkyCargo. 2 April 2014.
- ↑ MP Cargo winter 2012 timetable
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2005 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2006 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2007 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2009 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2011 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2012 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2013 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Airport Council International's 2014 World Airport Traffic Report
- ↑ Bahrain airport statistics 2015 Bahrain airport statistics
External links
Media related to Bahrain International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Airport information for OBBI at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
| ||||||||||
