Sales agreements worth more than $1 billion (BD378 million) were signed during the first Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS), officials have announced.

Around 30,000 visitors attended the spectacular three-day show at the Sakhir Airbase, which ended on Saturday.

The figures were released by Farnborough International Limited (FIL), which co-ordinated the event in partnership with Civil Aviation Affairs for the Kingdom of Bahrain.

'FIL very pleased with the attendance figures at the first BAIS,' said a spokeswoman.

'Between the corporate and public sides of the events, we entertained around 10,000 people each day so we are really delighted with that.'

BIAS organising committee head Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa hailed the success of the event and said the trade agreements would be evaluated in the coming weeks.

Plaudits for the show continued to flow in yesterday, as more participants expressed their gratitude to the organisers.

'The success of the event proves once again Bahrain's dynamic and progressive outlook,' said Gulf Air chief executive Samer Majali.

'For Gulf Air, the BIAS has served another great opportunity to be an ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain with the strong presence of its Golden Falcon on the ground and in the air.

'More particularly, it presented us a significant business platform, where we could conclude some key agreements that would bring potential benefits for the airline and its people.'-TradeArabia News Service