Bahrain International Airport recorded a 3.6 per cent increase in passenger traffic for the year 2003 over 2002, according to aviation sources.
The cargo and mail traffic handled by the airport soared by 31.6 per cent for the year.
The growth of the Bahrain International Airport as a major hub in the region can be borne from the fact that inbound traffic improved from 1,905,087 passengers in 2002 to 1,957,814 passengers in 2003, registering a gain of almost 3 per cent.
The sources said outgoing traffic grew by 3.2 per cent - from 1,870,126 passengers in 2002 to 1,929,142 passengers for 2003.
The airport was used as a transit base by 410,023 passengers in 2003, against 371,892 in 2002, showing a rise of 10.3 per cent for the year.
Cargo and mail traffic for the period increased from 180,823 tonnes in 2002 to 237,922 tonnes in 2003.
The sources said that DHL was the major mover of cargo and mail for the year, moving 5,493 tonnes, a gain of 95 per cent over 2002 figures.