Bahrain Airshow: Sakhir to become private jet airport for Grand Prix VIPs

Speaking at the show this morning HH Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the chairman of the show’s Supreme Organising Committee and Talal Al Zain, the head of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth investment organisation Mumtalakat and chairman of Gulf Air, both spoke about the future use of the base which is just minutes from Bahrain’s iconic motor-racing circuit.

“We have not just created a show here, we have built an air base that can be used for both military and commercial purposes,” Sheikh Abdulla said.

Al Zain said that the base is ideal for private jets to use for the Grand Prix.  The show’s Royal Pavilion is already equipped to the standards of the region’s best FBOs and is based on the apron which has plenty of parking capacity - the show itself has 74 aircraft on static display.

With aircraft as large as A320s already on show at Sakhir, the indications are that runway length will be more than adequate for most VIP and executive aircraft attending the event which takes place  March 14.

Sheikh Abdulla was asked if the F1 freight aircraft carrying the racing cars could also use the base. “I will leave that for the experts to consider. It may well be that the facilities at the international airport will better suit the freight aircraft, but this will be ideal for private jets,” he said.

At last year’s Grand Prix more than 100 business jets were handled by Bahrain FBO provider Bexair at the International Airport, making it the busiest week of the year for business aviation.

Bahrain is considering other ideas for the base as well. “There will certainly be the opportunity to host other events here,” Sheikh Abdulla said. “We have created a venue that is an investment for Bahrain.”