Budget airline AirAsia has signed an initial agreement with Bahrain’s transport ministry to make the kingdom its hub as the Malaysian carrier explores options to further connect Asia with Europe and the US through the Gulf.
Capital A, the owner of the no-frills airline, has signed a letter of intent with Bahrain’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunication that sets out the framework to better connect Bahrain with Asean markets, the company said on Monday. The move will also help build airline, cargo and logistics and maintenance operations from the Gulf hub.
Under the terms of the LoI, AirAsia will explore launching flights from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia to Bahrain over the next five years, with onward connectivity to western destinations. The group will also evaluate the option of an Air Operator Certificate in Bahrain to start flying narrow-body jets to key cities in the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and Europe.
By 2030, AirAsia expects to operate more than 25 daily flights through Bahrain, carrying more than 20 million passengers over the next five years. The operation will contribute an estimated 3 billion Bahraini dinars ($8 billion) to the kingdom's economy and support more than 100,000 jobs across the aviation and services ecosystem.
“This partnership is a game-changer,” Tony Fernandes, chief executive of Capital A, said. “With our aviation restructuring soon to be complete, both Capital A and AirAsia are stepping into another bold and disruptive chapter of global growth, and Bahrain will be a powerful launch pad for us in the Middle East.”
The move comes as AirAsia emerges from a bankruptcy-like restructuring post Covid-19. The airline faced a financial crisis that caused massive losses, with the company’s performance plummeting.
In June, Mr Fernandes said that the budget airline had four airports on the shortlist for setting up its hub in the Middle East, including the one in Ras Al Khaimah and a destination in Saudi Arabia.
This would be the airline's second attempt to set up a hub in the Gulf, after AirAsia X pulled out of Abu Dhabi back in 2010 for operational reasons. Two years later, the airline considered setting up a low-cost carrier to serve the Gulf region.
AirAsia, which saw its fleet size grow to 225 aircraft as of the end of the first quarter this year, has been working with Airbus to secure a long-range aircraft, Mr Fernandes said at the time.
Capital A’s maintenance, repair and overhaul arm, Asia Digital Engineering, also plans to establish a “significant presence in Bahrain” by constructing hangars and workshops which can service both narrow and wide body aircraft.
The group’s logistics unit, Teleport, will use Bahrain as the primary gateway to expand beyond Asia, with plans to base dedicated freighters in the kingdom to strengthen connectivity for the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the central Asian markets.
Capital A said the strategic move will enable Teleport to expand its international network and will enable greater e-commerce flows.
“The ambition of Bahrain to diversify the economy according to Economic Vision 2030 gets another boost from this partnership with Capital A and AirAsia,” Sheikh Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, said.
“The partnership model opens opportunities for both leisure and business travellers and at the same time, we create specialised jobs for our highly educated Bahraini workforce and give a further boost to the country’s GDP.”
BIOSAFETY LABS SECURITY LEVELS
Biosafety Level 1
The lowest safety level. These labs work with viruses that are minimal risk to humans.
Hand washing is required on entry and exit and potentially infectious material decontaminated with bleach before thrown away.
Must have a lock. Access limited. Lab does not need to be isolated from other buildings.
Used as teaching spaces.
Study microorganisms such as Staphylococcus which causes food poisoning.
Biosafety Level 2
These labs deal with pathogens that can be harmful to people and the environment such as Hepatitis, HIV and salmonella.
Working in Level 2 requires special training in handling pathogenic agents.
Extra safety and security precautions are taken in addition to those at Level 1
Biosafety Level 3
These labs contain material that can be lethal if inhaled. This includes SARS coronavirus, MERS, and yellow fever.
Significant extra precautions are taken with staff given specific immunisations when dealing with certain diseases.
Infectious material is examined in a biological safety cabinet.
Personnel must wear protective gowns that must be discarded or decontaminated after use.
Strict safety and handling procedures are in place. There must be double entrances to the building and they must contain self-closing doors to reduce risk of pathogen aerosols escaping.
Windows must be sealed. Air from must be filtered before it can be recirculated.
Biosafety Level 4
The highest level for biosafety precautions. Scientist work with highly dangerous diseases that have no vaccine or cure.
All material must be decontaminated.
Personnel must wear a positive pressure suit for protection. On leaving the lab this must pass through decontamination shower before they have a personal shower.
Entry is severely restricted to trained and authorised personnel. All entries are recorded.
Entrance must be via airlocks.
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
