Bahrain’s swift decision to temporarily close its airspace during a regional security crisis demonstrated the kingdom’s high level of preparedness and the professionalism of its aviation sector, a top official has said.
Speaking about the incident during the Shura Council’s weekly session yesterday, Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa explained that air raid sirens were activated in Bahrain following what he described as a ‘treacherous attack’ by Iran targeting Qatar in June.
This prompted immediate precautionary measures to safeguard Bahrain’s national airspace.
“At that moment, our priority was the protection of Bahrain’s skies,” Dr Shaikh Abdulla said.
“We were present at the Civil Aviation Affairs, specifically at the Air Navigation Centre, to manage the situation and ensure aviation safety at the highest level.”
He revealed that air traffic over Bahrain is among the busiest in the region, with around 260,000 aircraft crossing the kingdom’s Flight Information Region during the first six months of 2025.
“In times of political instability, difficult decisions must be taken regarding the continuation of air traffic,” he said.
“We were facing a challenging scenario, with aircraft already inside Bahraini airspace, and a decision was made to close the airspace for just two hours due to political disturbances,” he said.
The minister explained that the closure required immediate co-ordination with countries bound by air transport agreements with Bahrain, as well as regional airports, to divert incoming flights safely and efficiently.
“At that time, there were 16 aircraft within Bahraini airspace,” he said.
“Thanks to the calm, professionalism and international-level training of Bahraini aviation personnel, the situation was managed smoothly and with the highest standards of safety.”
Dr Shaikh Abdulla stressed that the incident underscored Bahrain’s crisis-management capabilities and the competence of its national workforce.
Meanwhile, the minister said Bahrain International Airport has an annual capacity of 14 million passengers and yet handled 9.3m last year – a figure he said was ‘not satisfactory’.
“We need tools that will increase passenger numbers and boost traffic to and from BIA, contributing to economic growth and national tourism,” he said.
Dr Shaikh Abdulla cited the recent signing of an agreement with AirAsia, the largest low-cost carrier in Asia, as a milestone.
“They operate more than 250 aircraft and transported 900m passengers worldwide last year,” he noted.
“Despite competition from three other regional entities, Bahrain succeeded in attracting AirAsia to establish a presence here, thanks to sincere national efforts and an outstanding Bahraini team.”
He added that Bahrain’s National Aviation Strategy is in its final stages.
“In the coming phase, Bahrain will witness the registration of new commercial and private aircraft, increased airport activity, and the completion of agreements to build five new aircraft hangars at Bahrain International Airport,” he said.
Responding to questions about future expansion, Dr Shaikh Abdulla explained that runway capacity currently allows 27 aircraft movements per hour, with technical upgrades underway to raise this to 38 per hour, which would significantly increase passenger capacity.
He confirmed that while long-term plans include a potential new airport, extensive studies and planning are underway as part of Bahrain’s Vision 2050, which prioritises integrated land, sea and air transport as a cornerstone of national development.
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