MANAMA, 9 November 2007 — Bahrain International Airport will be enhanced three times of its size as a high-powered committee of concerned departments is finalizing the details of the expansion plan.
Earlier, the government had announced an expansion plan for BIA with a total estimated cost of BD130 million but due to price escalation and modifications in the proposed plan, this figure is likely to go up to BD300 million.
The Chairman of Bahrain Duty Free Farouk Almoayyed, on Tuesday told reporters that the airport expansion which would be expected to enhance the capacity at the airport almost three times would give a new dimension to businesses like Bahrain Duty Free.
Almoayyed said that the Duty Free income would increase almost 30 percent by yearend, showing a robust growth in business.
Undersecretary of CAA Capt. Abdulrahman Al-Gaoud said that the exact figures for expansion budget would be announced later. Present were Jawad Y. Al-Hawaj, director Bahrain Duty Free, Mohammed Thamir Al-Kabir, airport manager and Maurice Burke general manager Bahrain Duty Free.
He was talking on the sidelines of a press conference convened to announce the Bahrain Duty Free has won “Best Marketing Campaign Award by a Retailer” in the annual Frontier awards in Cannes, France.
Almost 400 travel retailers, duty-free retailers and suppliers attended the industries 23rd Frontier awards ceremony, the highest and prestigious award in the Duty Free business industry.
Bahrain Duty Free has won the “Best Marketing Campaign by a Retailer”, the third time that the marketing award has been won by Bahrain Duty Free Shop at Bahrain International Airport.
This brings the total number to six, winning the “Best Marketing Award by a Retailer” in 2007, 2005 and 2004.
Bahrain Duty Free also won the coveted “Best Airport Land Based Retailer of the year” for three years — in 2005, 1997 and 1995 — a historic achievement for such a short history.
This year’s award was as a direct result of a strategically planned campaign that achieved the targets that were set and met the deadline as planned in the forecasted budget.
Since the inauguration of the Duty Free Shop in 1991, the continued support and cooperation of the CAA has been a major component in making Bahrain International Airport Duty Free Shop a benchmark for other operators in the region.
The chairman said the award was the result of strong cooperation with the CAA and the conversion of the shops to a virtual race track during F1 — the Gulf Air Bahrain grand prix.
