Transport
From The Report: Bahrain 2019
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Bahrain is home to a dynamic transport sector, including one of the Gulf’s oldest airlines and a causeway linking the kingdom to Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest economy. A second such link is in development, and soon the kingdom will also be connected by rail to the GCC train network. In addition, it will gain an expansive urban light rail system, a new airport and a revitalised national aircraft fleet. Bolstered by such projects, the sector is expanding. The transport and communications industry grew by 5.4% in 2017 in real terms, which was faster than the overall GDP growth of 3.8% and an increase from 2.5% the previous year.

This chapter contains interviews with Mohamed Al Binfalah, CEO, Bahrain Airport Company; and Krešimir Kučko, CEO, Gulf Air.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Strategic growth: A wide range of infrastructure upgrades promises to provide continuous improvements to travel by air, land and sea
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Bahrain is home to a dynamic transport sector, including one of the Gulf’s oldest airlines and a causeway linking the kingdom to Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest economy. A second such link is in development, and soon the kingdom will also be connected by rail to the (GCC) train network. In addition, it will gain an expansive urban light rail system, a new airport as well as a revitalised national aircraft fleet. Bolstered by such projects, the sector is expanding. The transport and…

Interview

Taking flight: Mohamed Al Binfalah, CEO, Bahrain Airport Company, on the new terminal at Bahrain International Airport
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Interview: Mohamed Al Binfalah What is the status of the new terminal that is being built at Bahrain International Airport? MOHAMED AL BINFALAH: The Airport Modernisation Programme, one of the most ambitious projects in the kingdom’s civil aviation history, was 70% complete as of January 2019. We are working on a fuel farm, new terminal building, and joint venture between Bahrain Duty Free and Gulf Air, with the former expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2019. The terminal building…

Interview

Launching operations: Krešimir Kucko, CEO, Gulf Air, on strategies to boost connecting traffic and enhance services
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Interview:Krešimir Kucko How is Gulf Air planning to grow its operations? KREŠIMIR KUCKO: The year 2018 has been one of significant change for Gulf Air, with the acquisition of five new Boeing 787 Dreamliners helping us to add six new destinations and increase the number of departures by 200 per week. Gulf Air also underwent a major rebranding that year. We are continuing this journey to 2023, at which point we expect to have 39 new aircraft and a diverse offering. One of our main strategies…

Analysis

Taking off: Plans for the new international airport facility are taking shape
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Bahrain International Airport (BIA) will soon be housed in a new international air terminal which is currently being constructed at an estimated cost of $1.1bn. This project is a recipient of finance from the Gulf Development Fund, which plans to channel $10bn altogether into Bahrain. The new 220,000-sq-metre new facility will be four times bigger than the existing terminal, with capacity to handle up to 14m passengers per year when operating at its highest level of service, an increase…