Air Show will have greater economic impact

The economic impact of this year’s Bahrain International Air Show is going to be larger than in previous editions, organisers of the air show have said. 

This year’s air show will be bigger than the previous editions, according to Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Kamal Ahmed.

International aviation industry leaders will be meeting in Bahrain next week for the fourth edition of the Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS) 2016, being held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa from January 21 to 23. 

The event is being organised by the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications in cooperation with the Royal Bahraini Air Force, and in association with Farnborough International Ltd. 

More than 120 companies and 75 delegations representing 34 countries are set to participate in BIAS, which is organised under the supervision of the Supreme Organising Committee of BIAS, chaired by HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of His Majesty the King. 

The minister said that the fact that the air show had developed into such a high level was a tremendous achievement for Bahrain.

“Nobody thought that the air show will achieve what it has achieved. The idea to make Bahrain a platform for companies and countries to talk about aviation industry has been achieved. To be honest, nobody thought that we would achieve this success so quickly. Air shows in other countries started 30 years ago and they have only achieved what we have achieved. So, for us to achieve all this in just four years in amazing,” he said. “In terms of economic contribution, this year it’s going to be more than what was last year. If you check the number of rooms so far booked at hotels, number of vehicles leased at the car companies, you will realise. Bahrain international air show now is definitely in the world map,” a senior official from Civil Aviation affairs said.

Seventy-five high-level delegations from KSA, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman,  Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey, the US, Czech Republic, Georgia, India, Russia, France, Hungary, the UK and Brazil, will be attending the show to take part in scheduled meetings, represented by Ministers of Transport and Economy,  Civil Aviation chiefs, CEOs of airline companies and senior executives from government and private sectors. 

A number of agreements are expected to be signed by the officials during their visits. Multi-national organisations participating include Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, Chevron, CFM, Finmeccanica, Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce, Turkish Aerospace Industries, TAG Aeronautics Ltd and Thales Group. 

The ‘Air Transport in the 21st Century Conference’ will be held on the second day of the show, with speakers including Ahmed Al Nemah from Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications’ Civil Aviation Affairs; Akbar Al Baker from Qatar Airways; and Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah from Bahrain Airport Company. 

On the third day of the show, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) will be holding a special seminar regarding its new Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) programme. 

Meanwhile, taking place the day before BIAS16 opens, the Manama Air Power Symposium (MAPS) will see air force chiefs and senior government officials discussing the most pressing priorities for regional Air Forces, with the participation of over 20 military
chiefs.

A Hosted Buyer programme will also be introduced, which will provide participating companies scheduled itineraries in which they can meet prospective clients. In addition to the conference programme, and back for the second consecutive show will be the Feature Pavilion, which will be 47pc larger than that of 2014.  

Bahrain-based companies will also be taking advantage of the event, with Batelco, Gulf Air, Bahrain Airport Company, DHL, MENA Aerospace, National Bank of Bahrain, and the Economic Development Board each holding a chalet. 

Over 100 aircraft are scheduled to be on display at the trade show, with a strong contingent of both commercial and military aircraft. 

On the commercial side Qatar Airways will bring their Airbus A380 and A350, Gulf Air will have an A320 on display and Kuwait Airways will also bring an A350 and its recently delivered A320 equipped with Sharklets, while Emirates Airlines will also display its latest A380 and 319 Business Jet. There will also be a host of business aircraft including Embraer and Gulfstream.