BAHRAIN International Airport has witnessed a 33pc surge in passengers up until September compared to the same period last year, revealed Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Mohammed Al Kaabi.
He told MPs during their weekly session yesterday that the number of travellers had reached 6.4 million.
“We are recovering well and the flow of passengers through the airport is increasing,” said the minister. “Hopefully, we will reach the same number of annual passengers before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, if not higher.
“There are plans in place to reach the 14 million passengers annual target and moves on an international level are clearly reflecting growth in our networking reach.
“We don’t disagree with MPs that there are profitable markets that need to be explored, some are under extensive study and others in final talks.”
He pointed up that there were several issues that had to be addressed before routes and destinations could be either added or reinstated.
“It is not just technical or operational aspects; other requirements such as political, safety and security approvals need to be obtained,” he explained.
“It is illogical to negotiate networking with countries that we have severed ties with, have no political representation or deal with on a diplomatic level.”
The minister was speaking during debate on a mutual aviation agreement between Bahrain and South Korea, which MPs approved and referred to the Shura Council for review.
MPs criticised the government for its keenness on signing a deal with a country in a market they considered to have ‘minimal profitability’.
“Airlines are competing to get Syria, Iraq and Iran on board because there is huge demand for seats,” claimed MP Mamdooh Al Saleh, suggesting 14 aircrafts per day would be full of passengers if Iraq, in particular, was added to the schedule.
“We want our airport to grow in the number of passengers it attracts but current destinations are unlikely to take it on that path,” he added.
“It is not as if people are not travelling to Iraq or Iran through Dammam or other regional airports - so why there are delays in offering direct flights from Bahrain?
“Bahrain severed ties with Iran due to an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, which was the right call then, but now things have changed between both countries and flights there have to resume.”
MPs also unanimously voted on government-referred amendments to Article 45 of the Arab Charter for Human Rights and referred it to the Shura Council.
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