Bahrain international airport is called Bahrain International. The airport could handle more than 100,000 passengers a week. The airport is situated on Al Muharraq Island, a 15-minute drive from the center of capital, Manama. There are about 50 nonstop long-distance flights per week that depart from Bahrain International. More than 300 regional flights are operated from Bahrain International every week. While you depart from Bahrain taking an outward flight, Bahrain International levies a 3.00 Dinar Airport Tax. Passengers from incoming flights need not pay any tax. However, they would have to pay customs duty on all items, except those that are intended for personal use.
Bahrain is the financial hub of the Arabic Middle East. Bahrain conducts several trade exhibitions and business conferences, attracting business people from all over the world. As such, Bahrain is well connected by flights from several countries. Further, because oil is the mainstay of the economy, large number of Asian immigrants work in Bahrain. Due to this, flights to Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines had seen a quantum jump in the last few decades. Planned promotion of tourism by the country, with pearl diving, scuba diving, fishing expeditions, water-sports, etc., being part of leisure activities, had also resulted in an increase in flights to Bahrain.
More than 25 international airlines operate flights to Bahrain. They are Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Zazeera Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, MVL, Kuwait Airways, Indian, Oman Air, Air India, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Iran Air, Yemenia Yemen Airways, Jordan Aviation Airlines, Cyprus Airways, Pakistan International Air, and Royal Jordanian. The list clearly indicates how Bahrain is well connected to several nations with flight services.
Most of these airlines offer cheap flight fares and last minute flight tickets to Bahrain, which are quite competitive and cost effective. Both single and round-trip flights are offered. In addition, they also provide standard economy flight and luxury flight options. A typical round-trip flight charge from Portland, Oregon and back to Bahrain costs $1,422, if the flight is booked about 15 days in advance. Similarly, a flight from Heathrow, London to Bahrain costs around 240 pounds, including all taxes and fees. Both British Airways and Gulf Air are operating daily flights from and to Bahrain from Heathrow Airport, London. Flight time is about 7 hours.
Last month, Bahrain International revealed that flights to Bahrain would increase shortly, with more international airlines introducing new flight schedules. Ethiopian Airlines, Tunis Air, and Air India would launch new flight operations to Bahrain. Lufthansa would increase the flight frequency from 3 to 4 a week. The Bahrain airport press release stated that 36 airlines were operating charter flights and cargo carriers. Etihad Airways and Air Arabia plan to increase the flights from 10 to 14, while Al Zazeera Airways would rise its flights from 5 to 12. The Bahrain airport handled about 7 million passengers last year from all the flights and plans to handle 8 million passengers from the increased number of flights this year.