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Thousands of aviation fans flocked to the fourth edition of the Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS) to witness thrilling aerial acrobatic displays, tour an array of winged and bladed aircraft and to see business partnerships take-off.
According to event organisers, the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation & Telecommunications, the Royal Bahraini Air Force and Farnborough International Ltd, this was by far the most successful air show to date attracting more than 30,000 visitors.
The three-day event also attracted record high number of orders and agreements totalling $9 billion, triple the amount of deals signed in 2014.
Kamal Ahmed, Minister of Transportation & Telecommunications and deputy chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee of BIAS, said: “The total deals signed during the fourth edition of the Bahrain International Air Show is a reflection of the event’s success and growth prospects which we have seen over the years in the total number of visitors, delegations, companies and countries’ representation.
“With each edition of the show, we continue to see new participation as well as returning participants which include some of the biggest names in the aviation industry worldwide.”
Every day, for four hours, a range of flight display teams filled the skies with coloured smoke while entertaining the crowds with thrilling tricks including loop-the-loops, upside down manoeuvres, intricate close-range configurations and cross-overs.
The aerobatic teams included the Indian Air Force’s Sarang Helicopter Display Team, the Saudi Hawks, India’s LCA Tejas, UAE’s Al Fursan Knights, the Jordanian Air team and the Russian Knights. The Bahrain Defence Force Special Forces parachute team also stunned the crowds by carrying a large Bahrain flag and leaving a trail of red smoke as they swirled their way down to the ground.
The Sakhir Air Base buzzed with energy as people stood in long queues to check out displays of fighter jets, luxury planes and even try their hand on-board a Eurofighter Typhoon simulator.
The US Navy static display also proved to be a strong attraction drawing lines of visitors which Lieutenant Alex Cornell Du Houx and his brothers-in-arms were more than happy to welcome.
Lieutenant Du Houx, 32, from Juffair, said: “The US Navy is pleased to be partnering with the Kingdom of Bahrain, continuing our friendship for over 60 years with the Bahraini International Air Show.
“We had everything from our F/A18 Super Hornet to the MV-22 Osprey to the CH 53 Helo. We had a variety of aircraft showcasing the abilities of the US Navy and our friends in the air force and army.
“People were allowed to come up to the aircraft, talk to the pilots and take photographs. A lot of the carrier pilots have been flying these planes for many years and are experts in their field.”
One of the stars of the exhibition was a 20-year-old F/A-18 Hornet, a twin-engine supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multi-role combat jet designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft that can reach top speeds of Mach 1.8. Chief Kelvin Suero explained how the aircraft can land and take off of the USS Harry S Truman and is the work horse of the aircraft carrier.
Another popular aircraft that attracted visitors at the exhibit was the Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) also known as the Blackhawks squadron.
Visiting aircraft engineer Peter Lund and his wife Joanne loved the exhibit. Mr Lund, 60, who lives in Jasra, was a huge fan of the Chinook support helicopter on display, which he used to work with for 10 years during a spell with the Royal Air Force.
Mr Lund said: “The exhibit was excellent. The pilots shared a lot of knowledge and everyone was really pleasant.”
The Exhibition Feature Pavilion housed more than 135 companies introducing their aviation services, including the British Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum which featured a timeline and display of various planes and jets including the iconic Concorde.
Ali Jamal, 41, who works at APM Terminals in shipping, from Hamad Town, couldn’t take his eyes off the Concorde figurine. He said: “I worked for the Bahrain International Airport for 11 years and during that time, I had the chance to step onto the Concorde. That was around early 2000 when it visited Bahrain. I wasn’t lucky enough to fly in it but I do know that it’s one of the fastest aircraft ever.
“Seeing the figure here at the Bahrain International Air Show brought back a lot of memories for me. This was my first time at the show. I’m glad I came. It was very active and lots of stuff to do and see.”
BAE Systems also introduced its Eurofighter’s Typhoon Cockpit Simulator, where visitors and delegates were able to experience what it’s like to fly one of the most advanced swing-role combat aircraft, virtually. Demand on the simulator was high, reflecting the interest and passion of the exhibition visitors.
Visitors were also mesmerised with the Eurofighter’s Typhoon display in the skies of Bahrain. The daily display, carried out by Jonny Dowen, the RAF display pilot, was one of the highlights of this exceptional aviation event.
The iconic Second World War Spitfire was on display too. The aircraft, which arrived in Bahrain in sections, was assembled over two days prior to the opening of the show by six Bahraini students from the Gulf Aviation Academy, Bahrain Air Services and AFAQ, the Institute of Aviation Technology.
There were also plenty of activities on the sidelines for children, such as magic shows, street performers and concerts put on by local artists.
Mo Zowayed & The Moonshiners serenaded the crowd on the last day with their folksy sounds and upbeat songs. The band included Mo Zowayed on vocals, Iba Almohsen on electric guitar, Antonio Henriques on double bass and Reynold Phillips on drums.
Zowayed said: “The turnout was great and the whole band had a lot of fun. It was the nicest day to be outside and playing music. The organisers could have easily hired international acts for this event, but instead took a chance and hired local performers.
“It’s always great when that happens, and the crowd loved that they were experiencing a live show by Bahraini artists. Even though many of them hadn’t heard my songs before, they were extremely supportive and energetic. We couldn’t have asked for a better set.”
The air show wasn’t all about fun and games. Many business deals were sealed such as a contract worth $1.1 billion to build a new terminal at Bahrain International Airport as part of its modernisation programme.
Other major agreements included a $31million contract for a baggage handling system, with Vanderlande from the Netherlands, a $27.9 million deal with L3 Communications from the US for security screening equipment, a $12.5 million agreement with Kone from Finland for a horizontal and vertical transfer system and an $11.7 million contract with CIMC from China for passenger air bridges.
The Bahrain Airport Services also signed a memorandum-of-understanding with German company AeroGround Flughafen München on training staff.
Meanwhile, Gulf Air announced a three-year extension of its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) agreement with JorAMCo under which Bahrain’s national carrier will receive heavy maintenance checks for its current fleet of 28 aircraft – A330s, A320-ERs, A320s and A321s until the end of 2018.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also signed a memorandum-of-agreement to run an average of 107 flights per week between international airports.
Due to the success of the event, organisers have set a new later date for the 2018 edition of the Bahrain International Airshow of November 14-16. Since 2010, the event has grown 60 per cent in participation and the pavilion growing nearly 50 per cent since 2014.
There were 75 delegations attending from 34 countries including KSA, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey, USA, Czech Republic, Georgia, India, Russia, France, Hungary, UK and Brazil.
International participation had also risen with the growth of the exhibition feature hall including 10 companies under the umbrella of the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation and four companies from the UK as part of the UK Partnership Pavilion, Kuwait, France, India, Russia, Sudan, Taiwan and Turkey.
Mr Ahmed said: “The Middle East civil aerospace market is growing at an exponential rate evidenced by the number of new airports in development in the region including Bahrain’s own airport modernisation programme. We want to provide the aerospace industry with more opportunities to do business in the region and the date change will help accommodate this.
“We are delighted to see the participants choosing BIAS to make their announcements and conduct their business and we look forward to creating further new opportunities in the next edition.”
