A new edition of the Bahrain International Airshow, a biennial aviation exhibition and event held since 2010 at Sakhir Air Base, concluded last Friday. This year’s edition ran from 9-11 November and welcomed more than fifty thousand visitors.
The event was attended by 186 companies and nearly 200 civilian and military delegations. It followed the Manama Air Power Symposium 2022, which brought together an audience of air force commanders and operators, policy makers and industry leaders from more than 25 countries.
During the three-day event, new deals and partnerships totalling more than 1.8 billion dollars were announced.
Highlights
Emirates and Gulf Air signed a new unilateral codeshare agreement that could start next December, although it must still obtain regulatory approval. The UAE’s largest airline also unveiled its newly retrofitted four-class Airbus A380.
Another major agreement was between Royal Jordanian Airlines and Pratt & Whitney. The two companies signed contracts for the future supply of engines to power the Airbus A320neo and Embraer E-Jet E2 that the Jordanian carrier will be introducing. The manufacturer will supply, respectively, PW1100G and PW1900G powerplants to equip up to a total of thirty aircraft.
In addition, senior executives from the Persian Gulf aerospace industry, together with representatives of international companies, held collaborative meetings in two dedicated conference rooms. As part of the programme of panels and conferences, they discussed about airports and airlines, cargo transportation and logistics, women in the industry today, and the space sector.
«The sixth edition of the event has built on the Show’s previous successes and strengthened its position as a unique platform for business development, engagement and the showcasing of the latest technological innovations in the aerospace industry», noted Mohamed bin Thamer AlKaabi, Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of Bahrain. «It continues to generate new opportunities in the aviation sector and the commercial and military aircraft market», he added.
The next edition will take place from 13-15 November 2024.
