Day one of the Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) 2022 saw deals done, partnerships agreed and a spectacular flying display involving the Red Arrows.
The show was officially opened by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Prime Minister of Bahrain.
Organised by the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and the Royal Bahraini Airforce in association with Farnborough International, the first day of the airshow saw partnerships announced between leaders in the aviation and aerospace community.
Pratt & Whitney inks deal with Royal Jordanian Airlines
Pratt & Whitney announced that Royal Jordanian Airlines has selected up to 30 of the latest-generation, single-aisle aircraft powered by GTF engines, replacing its entire narrow body and regional jet fleet over the coming three-five years.
Specifically, the airline has selected GTF engines to power up to 20 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft, including A320neo and A321neo models. Additionally, Royal Jordanian will introduce up to 9 GTF-powered Embraer E-Jets E2 aircraft, including E190-E2 and E195-E2 models.
Gulf Air and Emirates codeshare partnership
In addition, Gulf Air and Emirates officially signed a unilateral codeshare partnership, starting this December.
The new agreement will offer easy connections and expanded choices for Gulf Air customers connecting to Dubai and onwards to a host of Emirates destinations across Europe, Africa, South America and the Far East.
Mohammed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, said: “Today marks the return of the Bahrain International Airshow, following the success of previous years, and the commitment to increasing the continuity and sustainability of the various economic sectors in the Kingdom of Bahrain in general, and the aviation industry in particular.
“We ensured to include worldwide best practices and take advantage of the experiences of the world’s leading aviation shows in planning this year’s exhibition to create a unique environment conductive to the business and growth objectives of the Kingdom and attendees.”
Skill and education hub
Building on BIAS’s objective as providing a skill and education hub, a workshop was held by Corrin Higgs, an Airbus sustainability expert, who presented to Bahraini university students the latest innovations and sustainability trends in the aviation industry, highlighting Airbus’ journey towards clean aerospace, its sustainability strategy focus on reducing the CO2 emissions of its current aircraft, and its goal to bring the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft to market by 2035.
The afternoon saw the skies above Sakhir Air Base filled with the world’s most renowned air display teams and aircraft, with showcases of the Gulf Air 787, RBAF, JF-17, Fursan Al Emarat, UAE Mirage 2000, RSAF Typhoon, USAF F-16 demo team, Global Stars, Red Arrows, DHL B767-300 Flypast, UAE F16, Saudi Hawks and P-8 flypast.
The Bahrain International Airshow continues on 10 November and 11 November 2022.
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