Heralds Improving Afghan Business Climate and Increased Commercial Ties with the Kingdom of Bahrain

Muharraq, Bahrain; 26 June 2012 -Bahrain Airport Company welcomed the inaugural flight from Safi Airways, Afghanistan's international airline, on Sunday 24th of June 2012 to the Kingdom.

Flight 4Q241/2   flew from Kabul and touched down in Bahrain at 20:50, its 4th international destination, and the latest addition to its growing network.

The new milestone in Safi Airways' young, but progressively growing operations was witnessed by top officials of Bahrain Airport Company, Gulf Air and Safi Airways. The first commercial flight between Afghanistan and Bahrain, using an Airbus A320 with a two-class configuration, is expected to increase commercial ties between the two countries.

In welcoming the inaugural flight to Bahrain International Airport, Mr. Mohamed Khalil VP Commercial And Marketing Bahrain Airport Company lauded the airlines steady growth. "Safi Airways has made remarkable strides in growing the international airline's reach. We commend them for stirring the airline to another new milestone and look forward to the growth of the current flight's frequency and capacity."

Founded in 2006, Safi Airways has since established itself as Afghanistan's premier international airline offering the highest international safety and service standards. It aims to make Afghanistan more accessible to over 10 million Afghans living and working in various parts of the world, as well the constantly increasing number of contractors, non-government organizations and external government agencies who are actively involved in the nation's rebuilding efforts.

"Afghanistan is a country under reform with the help of multi-nation military and civilian efforts. Safi Airways plays an integral part in this renaissance by providing safe, economic and convenient connections to major global business hubs, such as Bahrain. With this new route, we are providing customers to and from Kabul with even more choice and convenience, when booking flights via Bahrain to and from Europe and the Americas.  The code share agreement with Gulf Air means we will jointly operate six flights per week between Bahrain and Kabul," said Lloyd Carswell, Chief Commercial Officer, Safi Airways.

Welcoming Safi Airways' inaugural flight to Bahrain, Gulf Air Deputy CEO Mr. Maher Al Musallam commented, "Safi Airways' arrival in Bahrain marks the beginning of an important codeshare relationship between both carriers. More importantly, the 6 additional flights between Bahrain and Kabul now offers greater convenience and travel options for passengers from both ends and would allow easy two way connections for Gulf Air passengers flying to/from its major European, Asian and North American destinations."

Safi Airways is a private airline established by Dubai-based Safi Group. The airline has its headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan and currently has Airbus A320-200 and Boeing 767-200 aircrafts servicing its routes in the region. Passengers can now purchase tickets for the Kabul-Bahrain service, operating every Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with 12 seats in business class and 132 seats in economy, at www.safiairways.com and also through any IATA travel agent in Bahrain. The starting fare is US$ 145 one way in Economy and US$ 265 return in Economy.  For Business Class it is US$ 530 one way and US$ 954 return

About Bahrain Airport Company (BAC)
Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) was established in 2008 with the mandate of developing Bahrain International Airport (BIA). A key role is to deliver enhanced and expanded capacity and infrastructure to accommodate future growth. BAC also manages the operations and commercial aspects of the Airport

For more information please contact:
BAC / Corporate Communications:
Mohammed Al Awadhi, Senior Corporate Communications Officer
Tel: (+973) 17331319
Email: Mohamed.Awadhi@bac.bh

© Press Release 2012