BAC signs Duty-Free concession agreement for new terminal

Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) Chairman, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed and Bahrain Duty Free Company (BDFC) Chairman Farouk Yousuf Almoayyed signed two key concession agreements for the core duty free category and the Development and Operation of Airside Specialty Retails at the new Passenger Terminal Building’s Duty Free Area with a term of 15 and 10 years consecutively.

In attendance at the ceremony were BAC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, Gulf Air Group Holding (GFG) Chief Executive Officer Paul Kehoe, and other officials from all three companies. The Minister said, “We look forward to working with BDFC to improve the shopping experience for passengers at the new terminal. Most airports are places that travelers have to go through, this is an airport we hope they will want to go to.

The new Duty-Free area will be four times larger than the existing terminal and retail areas will be three times bigger, offering passengers more variety and transforming Bahrain International Airport (BIA) into a key commercial hub. Duty Free shopping is one of the most popular parts of the airport experience and we are confident that passengers will appreciate the enhanced selection of goods and competitive prices.

With the launch of the new terminal in 2020, we look forward to delivering a hassle-free airport experience that offers comfort, connections, and character.” BDFC Chairman Farouk Yousuf Almoayyed said: “Bahrain Duty Free Company are honoured to extend our longstanding relationship with Bahrain Airport Company. The New Passenger Terminal Building is one of the most important infrastructural developments in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

As a proud Bahraini company, we look forward to offering an entirely new retail experience to passengers travelling through the new facility.”

In addition to core categories, the new Duty-Free Area will house 30 leading brands entering Bahrain for the first time, and offering a wide variety of products including fashion, accessories, eyewear, toys, electronics, perfume, cosmetics, gold, tobacco and international confectionaries. BDFC will be responsible for managing and operating retail points of sale at the Duty-Free Area and its facilities at BIA.

GFG and BDFC established a joint venture in 2018 to invest in both the arrival and departure terminals to increase the contribution of the aviation sector to the local economy, in line with the objectives of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.