Events and
Activities

Privileged by a strategic geographic location, Bahrain has been a vital market and transit place since antiquity and ultimately became a major stop for commercial flights between Europe and the Near East. In 1918, the first flight - a Royal Air Force bomber – arrived in Bahrain, followed in 1927 by an Imperial Airways chartered flight. However, regular aerial routes for commercial flights via Bahrain were established only after the discovery of oil in 1932, after which Bahrain became one of the major stops for Imperial Airways. Notably, the significant increase in air traffic prompted the development of the original facility and the building of a new airport. On December 2, 1959 HH Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa laid the foundation stone for a new airport, which was officially inaugurated by HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa on December 16, 1961. The expansion of the airport in 1971 allowed Bahrain to maintain its leading role as a major crossroads and eventually several international airlines started to fly to Bahrain and using its airport as a stopover and transit hub for their aircrafts.
This exhibition explores 50 years in the history and development of the Bahrain Airport and features historic footage, photos and documents.