AIRPORT REPORT: BAHRAIN
Ready to grow
Bahrain International Airport’s new terminal gives it the potential to grow and become a firm favourite with passengers over the coming decades, writes Joe Bates.
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ahrain International Airport’s new state-of-the-art terminal is the crowning jewel of a $1.1 billion infrastructure development programme designed to transform it into a world-class boutique airport and a key driver of national economic growth. When it opened earlier this year, His Excellency, the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and chairman of Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, stated that its impressive new facilities and services would help sustain the growth of Bahrain’s aviation sector for decades to come. “This, in turn, will help drive investment into the Kingdom and stimulate national economic growth in line with Bahrain’s Vision 2030,” he noted. These sentiments are certainly shared by BAC CEO, Mohamed Al-Binfalah, who believes that the new terminal – the key project of the gateway’s Airport Modernization Program (AMP) – will allow the airport to take a giant step forward in terms of operational efficiency and customer service, helping reinforce Bahrain’s position as a regional aviation hub. “The first thing that I want to say is that our beautiful new terminal was built in a relatively short space of time and, most importantly, within a well-managed budget,” he enthuses. “I am also happy to report that the opening went almost unnoticed, which meant that it happened without incident, and this pays testament to the success of our ORAT [Operational Readiness Activation and Transition] programme. As we all know, this hasn’t necessarily been the case with terminal openings elsewhere. “This was no vanity project – we really needed a new terminal. The old one served us well, but it was last upgraded in 1994, when its stated design capacity was four million passengers per annum. We handled around 9.6 million in 2019, so we simply didn’t have the
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AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 3, 2021
capacity or the facilities to provide the levels of quality and service we wanted to offer passengers and our airline customers. “That has all changed now as the new terminal has provided us with quality infrastructure that will serve our needs for years to come. Its addition is in line with the Kingdom’s vision to improve our key infrastructure and it finally gives us the opportunity to excel and showcase the very best of Bahrain.” Al-Binfalah describes the new terminal as a “right-sized” building that, from day one, was designed with the passenger journey in mind. He says: “Many airport buildings are large, confusing and even a little overwhelming with few features to distinguish one from another. We think our terminal is different. We went for quality rather than size, so it is very easy to navigate, hassle-free and to a large extent, very relaxing to use. “Elements of our rich local heritage are found throughout the building, which makes fantastic use of natural light. It also has outdoor open air terraces and technology that offers passengers a very personal experience and journey.” Passengers will also notice a big difference in the number and variety of retail/F&B offerings in the new terminal. They include Bahrain’s first Jamie’s Deli and Pizzeria from celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, which is one of 21 F&B outlets operated at the gateway by food concessionaire SSP.
Basic facilities Spread across 210,000sqm, the new facility is four times larger than the airport’s old terminal and will increase the capacity of Bahrain International Airport (BIA) to 14 million passengers per annum. Its facilities include a 6,600sqm Arrivals Hall and a 4,780sqm Departures Hall; 104 check-in desks; 36 passport control offices; 22 e-gates designed to ensure the rapid processing of passengers; eight
