Bahrain International Airport (BIA) notched up record-breaking performances last year, which was the the busiest in the airportÕs 69-year history. All segments of airport activity reached all time record levels with overall growth for both passengers and cargo increasing by 15 per cent over 1999.
This 15 per cent growth is the greatest year-on-year increase ever recorded by the airport. Passenger traffic totaled 3,930,585, an increase of 513,369 passengers over 1999 airport throughput, he said. The most significant growth was in arrivals, up 14.3 per cent, departures up 16.7 per cent and transfer/transit traffic up by 12.2 per cent. This dramatic growth has been fuelled by the strong performance of the Bahrain economy, the expansion of services by Gulf Air and the arrival of new airlines including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Asseman and Premiair. As a result, aircraft movements increased during last year by 12 per cent over 1999.