New airport terminal in Bahrain; Construction by 2035.

Manama : Bahrain’s Minister of Transport and Telecommunications Mohammed Al Kaabi said that it is planned to build a new airport terminal in Bahrain within the next ten years. He said the hub, which aims to transform Bahrain into a global destination for tourism and logistics, will have a capacity of at least 40 million annual passengers, and aims for a greenfield project to develop an international airport terminal to replace the existing hub in the next decade.
The country is aiming to boost revenue despite plans to boost tourism and air travel. The goal of a new international airport will be achieved when the existing hub reaches its maximum capacity by 2035. Last year, the ministry awarded a 541,900 Bahraini dinar ($1.4 million) contract to a Netherlands airport consultant to carry out a feasibility study for the greenfield airport project. “We are studying the future requirements for the construction of the new airport to be established in the northern part of the country,” said the minister.
The maximum capacity of the existing airport is around 14 million annual passengers. “About 9.5 million passengers have used the airport this year alone. So the next 15 years will have to be planned. Whether it should be a purely government project or a partnership with the private sector. Bahrain is looking to diversify its economy away from oil production, including aviation, tourism, hospitality and logistics. Trying to develop other areas.
By the end of the year, there are also plans to launch 43 airlines connecting to 65 destinations in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Far East from Bahrain International Airport. The Minister also said this month that the country’s Economic Development Board has announced that there are more than $30 billion worth of investment projects in Bahrain, focusing on logistics and tourism. The economy is expected to grow by 3 percent in 2024, the finance ministry said.
The government is accelerating efforts to diversify its revenue sources and economic sectors away from hydrocarbons. The Finance Ministry reported this month that the non-oil sector grew by 2.8 percent. Bahrain International Airport aims to connect to 100 new destinations by 2026 as part of its national air connectivity plan, Al Kaabi said at the Roots World event in Manama last week.
Gulf Air will also launch direct services to regions
including cities in Africa and the US as the Bahrain Airport company seeks to attract more airlines to the hub. There are plans to add five more airlines, including Red Wings Airlines, Smart Wings, Fly Jinnah, Ajet and Azerbaijan Airlines, Bahrain Airports Company Chief Executive Mohammed Al Binfala told The National.
He also said that 10 airlines are expected to start operations by the end of this year. She added that Bahrain aims to attract tourists from countries including China, UK, Germany and India. Gulf Air recently launched routes to the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou.