Bahrain's flag-carrier Gulf Air has recorded solid growth in passenger numbers for the first half with the volume hitting 3.1 million, up 8.5% over last year.

Announcing its first half-year statistics, Gulf Air said its capacity grew to more than 4.3 million, while passenger load factor rose to 77.9% and cargo traffic increased by 3.5% to 41,000 tonnes, it said.

The airline strengthened its Asia-Pacific and European network with new flights to Guangzhou and Shanghai in China, and Munich in Germany, establishing additional connectivity with Bahrain.

Furthermore, the airline resumed flights to the cities of Baghdad and Najaf in Iraq, increased frequencies to the Qatari capital of Doha, and the Omani capital of Muscat, in addition to Manchester in the United Kingdom, and Milan and Rome in Italy, and launched new seasonal destinations to Alula in Saudi Arabia, Geneva in Switzerland, and Rhodes in Greece.

In terms of overall passenger statistics, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and managing body of Bahrain International Airport, reported a 13.2% increase in passenger volume to 4.6 million in H1 as well as a 9.4% rise in air traffic movements to over 48,000.

Cargo operations saw an increase of 7.19% to 189,799 tonnes compared to the first half of 2023.

As for new airlines, BAC welcomed Fly Jinnah (Pakistan’s leading low-cost carrier) which began flights from Islamabad to Bahrain in July.

Garnering industry recognition, BAC was honoured with two leading industry awards: 'Airport Operator of the Year for Medium Size Airport' and 'Aviation Sustainability Award' at the 2024 Aviation Achievement Awards, as well as Skytrax ‘Best Airport Staff in the Middle East 2024’ award.-TradeArabia News Service