The first phase of the Bahrain International Airport modernization project has been completed. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development which is one of UAE’s leading financial institutions had financed Dhs3.7bn ($1bn) for this expansion project.

On behalf of the UAE, the Fund facilitated the project, which in 2013 extended Dhs9.1bn ($2.5bn) to Bahrain as part of its GCC Development Program commitment. The new terminal with a size four times larger than the previous one is expected to accommodate up to 14 million passengers per year. There are many associated projects which include 5,500 car parks, two receptions, hospitality lounges for first and business class travelers, a building dedicated to private aviation, addition to a central security gate, a building for fire and rescue services, an area for duty-free outlets, an aircraft fuelling area and a hotel that would offer a variety of accommodation options to passengers.

The terminal is the biggest green office in Bahrain that has acquired a Gold Certification from Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED), a globally perceived green structure certificate framework.

The Fund has financed 29 undertakings worth AED19.5 billion in different areas of the Airport to drive maintainable financial improvement in the country and Bahrain is one of the first countries where ADFD undertook development activities in 1974. The air terminal development task will extraordinarily profit the Bahraini economy and improve the part of its administration area, which is a needed financial area for Bahrain to build up itself as a local strategic center point.

Source: Gulf Business