Passengers numbers at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) jumped up 9 per cent during the Eid Al Fitr holidays, crossing 140,000 passengers between June 14 and 19, said a report.

During the period, BIA handled 142,725 passenger movements compared to the same period last year, and 1,331 additional flights, an 8 per cent increase from 2017, BNA reported.

These figures come on the back of an increase in the number of airlines operating out of BIA, and improvements being made to the airport’s infrastructure and services as part of the ongoing Airport Modernisation Programme (AMP).

"Bahrain International Airport smoothly and efficiently handled the surge in passenger and flights traffic during the Eid break, which has proved the airport’s ability to handle larger volumes," the report cited chief operations officer, Michael Hohenberger, as saying.

Once the new Passenger Terminal Building opens, BIA’s capacity will increase to 14 million passengers a year, the report said.