BIAS 2018 adds to Kingdom’s glory

The fifth Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) was inaugurated by His Highness Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, personal representative of His Majesty and Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee of BIAS. With an estimated 110 military and civil aircrafts from across the globe, the 2018 BIAS witnessed a 35 per cent increase in the number of companies participating with the exhibition hall area doubled from the previous airshow.

It was noted that 66pc of the visitors were from abroad indicating the international significance of this biennial event. The inaugural day of the airshow witnessed major deals signed including an MoU between Gulf Air and the national airline of the UAE for joint codeshare operations, multiple air service agreements between the Kingdom of Bahrain and KSA, UAE, Brazil and Brunei, as well as a training and work service agreement between the UAE and Bahrain’s space agencies.

Further, other significant agreements inked comprise a 700 million USD deal for the purchase of 26 helicopters and the construction of a VIP terminal to meet the needs of private jets. Flying greater than that of the speed of sound with a mixture of loops and rolls; the supersonic, thunderous and extremely agile military jets were guaranteed to send chills down the spine of its spectators. The captivating four-hour flying display was a true visual treat encompassing military aircraft stunts, civil airliners flypast, formation flying and aerobatics demonstration teams from Italy, the UAE and Russia.

The sky was painted with hues of red, green, white and black smoke as the aerial displays teams performed the ‘corsair loop’, ‘swan right barrel roll’, ‘flag cross’ and other spectacular formations. Trade visitors were allowed to tour the interior of numerous military, commercial, freighter and general aviation aircrafts. Some of the aircrafts on static display were the A380 Superjumbo, 787-9 Dreamliner, 777-300ER, 767-200, G650ER, Falcon 2000S, Phenom 100EV and a range of passenger, cargo and business jets. The military offering displayed the vertical take off and landing AV8B Harrier, CH-53D heavy-lift transport helicopter, V-22 Osprey and B-1B strategic heavy bomber to list a few.

The exhibition hall showcased aviation and defence equipment manufacturers, component suppliers, technology partners, country wise pavilions, universities, service organisations, departments of defence, airlines and other companies linked to aerospace and defence. One of the highlights of the airshow was the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain debuting their newest 787-9 Dreamliner and A320neo. These are among the most fuel efficient, technologically advanced and greenest aircrafts; offering an unparalleled passenger experience. This year’s BIAS also debuted the World’s first B737-700 FlexCombi by Bahrain based Texel Air, allowing a variety of interchangeable passenger and cargo configurations.

As the sun began to set, the grand finale was a twilight displays with twister aerobatics involving pyrotechnics. The high powered spotlamps to illuminate the display smoke and coloured LEDs along the aircraft fuselage with intensely bright fireworks streaming off the wingtips, was a surreal experience. The Airshow featured an assortment of activities for children including rides, face painting, inflatable slides, magic shows, obstacle courses and more. Special programmes were organised for adults and families such as competitions, live shows, musical performances, stilt walkers, street performers, simulator and gaming zones.

This biennial event had something to offer for an audience of every kind. Whether you’re an aircraft enthusiast or just a casual visitor, audience were guaranteed to be awestruck by the skill and audacious manoeuvres of the daredevil pilots.