Gulf Air Group reports passenger and travel statistics of 2024 H1

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

Gulf Air Group has reported robust first half-year statistics for Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and managing body of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), for 2024. The performance in the first half of the year was marked by an increase in passenger numbers, Travel Volume, and cargo traffic.

The Gulf Air airline strengthened its Asia-Pacific and European network with new flights to Guangzhou and Shanghai in China, and Munich in Germany, establishing additional connectivity with Bahrain.

Furthermore, the airline resumed flights to the cities of Baghdad and Najaf in Iraq, increased frequencies to the Qatari capital of Doha, and the Omani capital of Muscat, in addition to Manchester in the United Kingdom, and Milan and Rome in Italy, and launched new seasonal destinations to Alula in Saudi Arabia, Geneva in Switzerland, and Rhodes in Greece.

Passenger volume increased by 8.5% to 3.1 million compared to the same period last year. 

Capacity grew to more than 4.3 million, while passenger load factor rose to 77.9% and cargo traffic increased by 3.5% to 41,000 tons. 

In terms of overall passenger statistics at Bahrain International Airport, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) reported a 13.2% increase in passenger volume to 4.6 million in the first half of 2024, as well as a 9.4% rise in air traffic movements to over 48,000. Cargo operations saw an increase of 7.19% to 189,799 tonnes compared to the first half of 2023.

As for new airlines, Bahrain Airport Company welcomed Fly Jinnah (Pakistan’s leading low-cost carrier), which began flights from Islamabad to Bahrain in July.

Garnering industry recognition, Bahrain Airport Company was honoured with two leading industry awards: 'Airport Operator of the Year for Medium Size Airport' and 'Aviation Sustainability Award' at the 2024 Aviation Achievement Awards, as well as Skytrax "Best Airport Staff in the Middle East 2024" award.