MPs to ratify new Bahrain-Kyrgyzstan air services deal strengthening regional links

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

New air links between Bahrain and Kyrgyzstan will go before MPs on Tuesday, as the Parliament reviews a draft law to ratify a 27-article air services agreement attached to Decree No. (35) of 2025.

Signed in Manama on 21 April 2025, the deal would open direct routes for passengers and cargo, give airlines on both sides more room to plan services and place Bahrain–Kyrgyzstan flights within the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

The Public Utilities and Environment Committee has backed the draft in principle and urged MPs to pass it in its current form.

Preamble

The draft law itself is short, made up of a preamble and two articles.

The first article ratifies the air services agreement and attaches it to the law, while the second is an executive clause requiring the Prime Minister and ministers to implement its provisions, with the law to take effect the day after publication in the Official Gazette.

Behind that sits a detailed framework that sets out traffic rights, safety and security rules, environmental measures and a list of routes.

Emergencies

Each state may name its own airlines to run the agreed services and grant them operating permission, while both keep the power to curb or halt flights during emergencies or for public security.

Airlines are allowed to set fares on commercial grounds, with only narrow room for government intervention.

The agreement also calls for fair and equal chances for carriers from both countries to run services that match demand for travellers, freight and mail.

Clauses

Other clauses cover recognition of airworthiness certificates and licences, the use of leased aircraft, how to deal with inadmissible passengers and deportees, and the sharing of statistics between aviation authorities. Both governments state that they will follow international rules on flight safety and the protection of civil aviation from unlawful acts, including hijacking, and that they will assist each other if such incidents occur or are threatened.

They also say they will support sustainable aviation in line with International Civil Aviation Organization guidance on environmental protection.

Arbitration

Disputes are to be settled first by talks and, if that fails, by arbitration. In its written view to Parliament, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications said the agreement would strengthen air links with the Kyrgyz Republic, open the way to future destinations for citizens and residents and raise service levels at Bahrain International Airport.

It added that the text follows model bilateral agreements used at the International Civil Aviation Organization and allows multiple airline designations and an open-skies style approach.

Ties

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the deal sits within Bahrain’s wider effort to deepen ties with friendly states.

It said the agreement aims to secure efficient, competitive air services, give airlines scope to offer a wider range of options and keep high standards of safety and security.

The Public Utilities and Environment Committee ended its report by recommending approval in principle of the draft law and backing the title, preamble and both articles as submitted by the government.