Look: Bahrain International Airport’s History
Established in 1927, Bahrain’s international airport is the oldest international airport in the Gulf. The history of the Kingdom’s airport dates back to when a chartered flight landed 94 years ago. However, the first scheduled commercial flight only arrived in Bahrain in 1932, carrying 24 passengers.
1927
Formerly known as Imperial Airways, the first British Airways arrived in Bahrain when a local pearl merchant chartered an aircraft from Baghdad, Iraq.
1932
The first commercial aircraft heading to Delhi arrived from London. This made Bahrain the first GCC country to operate a commercial international airport.
1937
“Bahrein Marine Airport”, a passenger terminal was established to accommodate the rise of commercial aircrafts.
1950
Weekly flights to Karachi, Singapore and Hong Kong commence along with flights to Sydney three times a week.
1963
Gulf Aviation Company, now known as Gulf Air, was formed during this time.
1970
Air India, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Qantas all began to use Bahrain’s international airport as a major transit stop with their B747 aircraft.
1976
British Airways Concorde service between London and Bahrain commences.
1980
As a prelude to the major expansion and refurbishment program, an expansion of the airport’s facilities took place.
1994
Bahrain’s new $100 million terminal was inaugurated. The handling capacity was also expanded to accommodate 10 million passengers per year.
2008
The Bahrain Airport Company was established.
2021
The $1.1 billion state-of-the-art terminal was launched.