Designed to celebrate and reward excellence in airports world-wide, the award recognizes BIA as a world-class airport in the Middle East committed to providing efficient, secure, safe and comfortable travel experiences within friendly surroundings.
Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), ohamed Yousif Al- Binfalah, confirmed upon accepting the award that winning this prominent accolade is a testament to the professionalism of BAC’s staff and its partners in providing excellence in passenger services as we keep in line with the company’s mission to offer passengers with an exceptional travel experience
“BIA’s win reflects the Kingdom’s efforts to position BIA as a driver of economic development in aviation sector and linking the East and the West while serving as a gateway to the region’s key markets,” he added.
“The achievement of this significant milestone would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of our employees and partners. We work in partnership with the private and public sectors across all aspects of the airport’s operations, services, and infrastructure to ensure fast passengers and cargo movement which also enables the success of our stakeholders. I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to everyone who contributed towards this accomplishment, wishing them success in their future endeavor,” Al- Binfalah said.
SKYTRAX awards are voted for by airport customers from around the world, whereby 12.1 million responses were garnered this year. BIA was also nominated for another two categories, Middle East’s best airport and World’s Best Airport by Passenger Numbers (for airports accommodating 5 -10 million passengers a year), where it has been ranked in the 3rd and 6th place respectively. This is in addition to a nomination for the Movenpick Hotel Bahrain in the best Middle East airport hotel category. All this contributed to make BIA part of the world’s top 100 airports as listed by Skytrax.
Established in the early 1930s, BIA was the first airport to operate in the Arabian Gulf. Today, the airport caters to 38 airlines flying to 51 destinations world-wide, accommodating approximately 9 million passengers a year. An 8.8% increase in passenger traffic was reported during 2012, following a series of development initiatives at the airport. A number of key international cargo carriers operate from BIA, including DHL which has made BIA its’ regional hub for its operations in the Middle East for more than 35 years. The airport previously won a number of internationally renowned awards including the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards for the Best Airport in Middle East 2010.
The airport is managed by BAC, who is responsible for elevating the airport’s operations, infrastructure and services. This is set to improve the Kingdom‘s aviation capabilities; and to cater for the growing number of passengers as well as the changing demands of BIA stakeholders.