Airport modernisation to facilitate national growth

Manama, Dec. 12 (BNA): "The $1.1 billion Airport Modernisation Programme (AMP) currently underway at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) will be a important and wide-ranging facilitator for national growth in the Kingdom," Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah told a conference of global aviation leaders in Oman. Participating at a panel discussion of airport development in the Middle East at the 2017 Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Exchange Conference, he highlighted details of the programme, which is set to boost the Kingdom’s aviation industry and have a catalytic impact on a number of aviation associated sectors of the economy. Al Binfalah said: "We firmly believe that the project we are currently managing at BIA will completely transform our industry and be one of the most important platforms for economic growth in Bahrain’s aviation history. Once completed, it will revamp all aspects of the airport’s operations to accommodate the growing demands of today’s travellers, who will be passing through a state-of- the-art airport four times its current size, catering to 14 million passengers each year. This will make the AMP a major contributor to Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030." Considered one of the most important gatherings in the aviation industry calendar, ACI Airport Exchange brings the world’s airport community to the Arabian Gulf with the goal of improving standards, performance, and revenues. This year, the conference and exhibition were held over a 3-day period with the participation of more than 1,500 representatives of the world’s leading airports, including 50 exhibitors and more than 150 senior speakers.