Bahrain Airport Logs 2.2m Passengers

Bahrain International Airport recorded no passenger or aircraft traffic in March after the Iranian attack on Bahrain and other Gulf states, cutting sharply into what had been a strong start to 2026, new open data show.

The airport handled 2,202,375 passengers in the first five months of the year, according to figures on Bahrain’s Open Data Portal, with January alone accounting for 933,299 passengers.

January was the busiest month in the data released up to May, with 460,493 departing passengers, 472,228 arrivals and 578 transit passengers. Aircraft traffic also reached its peak that month, with 8,805 movements, made up of 4,406 arrivals and 4,399 departures.

Traffic fell in February, when the airport handled 705,610 passengers, including 349,089 departures, 355,050 arrivals and 1,471 transit passengers. Aircraft movements dropped to 7,195, split between 3,586 arrivals and 3,609 departures. Overflights stood at 43,015, while the Flight Information Region logged 50,210 movements.

March showed a full break in activity in the published database. Passenger totals, departures, arrivals, transit traffic, aircraft arrivals, aircraft departures, total movements, overflights and Flight Information Region traffic were all listed as zero.

A limited return followed in April, with 76,397 passengers using the airport. The figure included 39,108 departing passengers and 37,289 arrivals, with no transit passengers logged. Aircraft movements reached 926, made up of 472 arrivals and 454 departures. The same month saw 548 overflights and 1,474 Flight Information Region movements.

By May, traffic had begun to climb back. Passenger numbers rose to 487,069, including 252,684 departures, 234,124 arrivals and 261 transit passengers. Aircraft movements reached 4,875, almost evenly split between 2,437 arrivals and 2,438 departures.

Overflights also rose in May to 11,242, while Flight Information Region traffic reached 16,117, according to the portal.