*** ----> New milestone in Bahrain’s aviation sector | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

New milestone in Bahrain’s aviation sector

TDT | Manama

Texel Air, an established private airline and maintenance, repair and operations company based in Bahrain, announced yesterday the arrival of the Boeing 737-700 FlexCombi. A first-of-its-kind globally, the conversion aircraft has been developed to provide the most versatile third-party cargo charter solution available in the market.

The aircraft arrived at the company’s private hangar at Bahrain International Airport, where it was greeted by Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Eng Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, alongside other VIPs and Texel Air management and board.

The aircraft, which will be based in the Kingdom, is unique in its ability to be configured in seven different ways for multiple purposes in a remarkably fast 48- hour time frame. The FlexCombi can switch seamlessly to operate humanitarian, government, express integrator and commercial flights from major airports to smaller remote runways, with configuration flexibility achieved without compromise in cargo volumes and customised-mission capability.

In addition to cargo, the aircraft is able to transport up to 24 people as well as offer the option for medical evacuation flights using two speciality medical beds installed on the aircraft. The Transportation Minister commented: “I am very pleased to welcome Texel Air’s new aircraft to Bahrain today.

This is an innovation milestone for our aviation industry and is a reflection of Bahrain’s conducive investment environment and advanced regulations in the industry. “The new aircraft presents a brand new offering to the airline industry and we are very proud that Bahrain is the launchpad for this. It is an example of how Bahrain is not only a good place to establish a business, but also to grow it successfully.”

Texel Air’s parent company Chisholm Enterprises CEO George Chisholm added: “We are delighted to welcome the arrival of our first-of-a-kind Boeing 737-700 FlexCombi to Bahrain, where we have proudly grown from an organic start-up airline to a leading innovator in niche cargo operations serving the Middle East, North Africa and global markets.

“From our strategic position in Bahrain, a growing regional hub for aviation and logistics, we will operate this versatile aircraft, serving an international roster of clients that have long awaited a solution that provides them with unmatched levels of flexibility.”

The FlexCombi was developed in partnership with USbased PEMCO World Air Services, who effectively translated the concept into an approved FAA STC. For its work on the FlexCombi, PEMCO, in September of 2017, was awarded “Innovator of the Year” at the Chicago Freighters World Conference.