Bahrain Unveils New Airport Terminal

The Kingdom of Bahrain has opened a significantly expanded, state-of-the-art new airport terminal that is four times the size of the previous facility—and aims to become a major travel hub in the Gulf region. The cost: $1.1 billion dollars.

The terminal can now handle 14 million passengers a year (the previous facility saw 9.5 million in 2019). And while it’s much bigger than before, it promises to deliver a more personal and luxurious experience for the traveler—including two luxury lounges.

The 210,000-square-meter terminal, which is about a kilometer long, has 104 check-in counters. Immigration and security screenings are in the middle of the terminal. There are eight baggage reclaim belts, 36 passport control offices, and 24 gates for arrivals and departures. There are 10,000 square meters of retail and dining space, plus an additional 2,000 meters that could accommodate greater future demand.

Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national airline, is an anchor tenant at the airport, having moved from its old terminal that was built in 1961. The carrier’s new lounge will feature shower rooms, a prayer space, cooking stations, a children’s area and access to high-tech amenities.

The centerpiece of the new terminal is the huge screen, built around the original airport’s control tower, showcasing images of Bahrain.

“The new terminal’s boutique design means passengers can traverse the arrival and departure areas more quickly than at any other regional airport, which gives them more time to enjoy all the amenities the airport has to offer,” said Ayman Zainal, Chief Commercial Officer of the Bahrain Airport Company (BAC).

COVID-19 seems to have had an influence on the design and construction of the terminal. In fact, the facility was originally supposed to open in early 2020 but faced significant delays due to the pandemic. Not surprisingly, the BAC has implemented contactless processes throughout the facility.

The BAC has partnered with SITA to implement SITA’s Smart Path kiosks and Flex passenger processing technology platform. The kiosks use biometric identification to minimize passenger contact with commonly used devices. SITA is also providing a baggage reconciliation system.

The airport also features 22 new eGates as part of its Automated Border Control platform, designed by Vision-Box. The system will let passengers travel through immigration and security checkpoints faster and with reduced staff interaction, while maintaining high security standards. The gates will use multi-modal biometric identity management, including facial, iris, and fingerprint recognition to verify passengers’ identities. As a result, passengers will have more control over their travel arrangements—and time-consuming immigration and security processes will be streamlined.

Thales will be providing smart security for the terminal, including video analytics, to identify abnormal behaviors or conditions and provide smart incident management—while enhancing overall security for travelers and workers.

Energy efficiency considerations have also been built into the facility. Bahrain’s arid climate can be fairly harsh, and since the new terminal has a 65 per cent window-to-wall ratio, heat management becomes a significant concern. Emphasis was placed on efficiently insulating the building and optimizing its facade, resulting in reduced overall heat gain—and a lower energy demand to maintain its temperature in a comfortable range.

While the terminal is operational now, it is functioning at significantly reduced capacity due to the downturn in international travel—which is true around the world. In fact, airline capacity in the Middle East as a whole is down 56 per cent due to the pandemic. Nations in the region have invested heavily in aviation to reduce their economies’ reliance on oil and gas, making them particularly vulnerable to the dramatic downturn in air travel. Bahrain’s economic vision is to become a financial, cultural, and aviation centre by 2030—further diversifying its economy—and the new terminal is a key component of that direction. Time will tell if the aviation sector makes a post-COVID recovery, and if the new terminal is filled to capacity.