Bahrain International Airport Records Outstanding Performance in 2024

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain International Airport (BIA) has reported exceptional performance during the first eleven months of 2024, showcasing significant growth in passenger traffic, aircraft movements, and air freight compared to the same period in 2023.

Official data released by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications highlights the strong momentum reflecting increased demand for air travel and freight in the region, and a complete recovery in passenger traffic.

Total passenger numbers at BIA reached 8.71 million from January to November 2024, a notable increase from 8.01 million during the same period in 2023. This growth encompassed all categories: arriving passengers increased by 8.7% to 4.36 million, while departing passengers saw a 9.8% rise, reaching 4.35 million. Transit passengers experienced a remarkable surge of 267.7%, totaling 18,249 compared to 4,960 in the previous year.

The airport maintains substantial capacity, accommodating up to 14 million passengers following the recent expansion of the new passenger terminal and strategic plans for a new airport through land reclamation north of Muharraq.

Aircraft movements also grew by 7%, with a total of 50,530 flights during the first eleven months of 2024, compared to 47,213 during the same period in 2023. Arriving flights reached 25,460 (+7%), and departing flights numbered 25,070 (+7.1%).

Air freight continued its impressive growth trajectory, with a 16.9% increase in total freight volume to 364,800 tons, compared to 312,200 tons in the same period last year.

All freight categories showed strong gains: inbound freight rose by 17.8% to 120,700 tons, outbound freight increased by 25.5% to 79,200 tons, and transit freight saw a 12.5% growth to 164,900 tons, solidifying Bahrain's position as a regional logistics hub.

While November 2024 saw a slight 1% decrease in overall passenger numbers to 729,555 compared to November 2023, air freight experienced a robust 24% growth, reaching 37,164 tons compared to 29,940 tons in November 2023. This growth was particularly notable in outbound freight (70% increase) and inbound freight (32% increase).