Bahrain International Airport (IATA: BAH, ICAO: OBBI) (Arabic: مطار البحرين الدولي) is an international airport located in Muharraq, an island on the northern tip of Bahrain, about 7 km (4 miles) northeast of the capital Manama. It is the primary hub for Gulf Air and Bahrain Air.
A BD113m ($300 million) expansion and refurbishment program was launched in the third quarter of 2006 which will see the creation of a new multi-storey car park and retail complex adjacent to the main terminal building. The expansion also includes a full resurfacing of the main runway, a new perimeter fence, state-of-the-art security systems and additional aircraft parking bays. Runway 12R/30L is mostly used as a taxiway.
A significant portion of passengers served by the airport are Saudis and Western expats working in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Designated bus and limousine services move passengers from Dammam, Khobar and other Saudi cities to Bahrain Airport. Many passengers from the Eastern Province choose not to use the mainland King Fahd International Airport. This is largely because it is economical for some airlines to operate only from Bahrain, giving more flight options to passengers from Bahrain Airport and the convenience provided by the King Fahd Causeway.
The airport has a three star rating from Skytrax's airport grading exercise along with seven other airports. In 2010, Bahrain Airport was named as the winner of the Best Airport in the Middle East Award at the Skytrax 2010 World Airport Awards.
History
The first scheduled commercial airliner to arrive in Bahrain, in 1932, was a flight from London to Delhi operated on a Handley Page H.P.42 aircraft named "Hannibal." The H.P.42 carried only 24 passengers, and the flight from London had taken several days of flying at speeds of 100 miles per hour. Through this regularly scheduled service, Bahrain became established as the Persian Gulf's first international airport.
During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Air Transport Command Central African Wing, being designated as Station # 13. It functioned as a stopover en-route to Abadan Airport, Iran or Sharjah Airport, in present day UAE on the Karachi-Cairo route. From the end of World War II until Bahrain's independence in December 1971, the Royal Air Force maintained a military installation at the airfield known as RAF Muharraq. The majority of these facilities were later acquired by the Bahraini flag carrier airline, Gulf Air, while a small portion continues to be utilized by the U.S. Navy as Aviation Support Unit (ASU) Bahrain.
