Bahrain International Airshow – what you need to know.
You are probably familiar with the F1 event in Bahrain but did you know Bahrain has just hosted it’s fifth International Airshow? We were lucky enough to go along, see display teams from across the world including the RAF Typhoon Display team and learn more about the wonderful island that is the Kingdom of Bahrain. Read on for our top 5 things you didn’t know…
- The Kingdom of Bahrain has a population of just over 1.4 million
- Bahrain is an island measuring 710 km2Â
- The capital of Bahrain is Manama
- Bahrain and the UK signed a Treaty of Friendship in 1816 which led to our role as protector
- The UK is one of only 4 European nations to have an embassy in Manama
Bahrain International Airshow 2018 (BIAS)
This month saw the 5th bienniel airshow take place at the Sakhir Air Base.
The show welcomed display teams from across various militaries including Italy, Russia, America and the UK. The show took place over 3 days and played host to a large number of aviation industry players as well as being open to the public.
What we learned at the show:
- Sakhir Air Base was purpose built for the first airshow in 2010
- The runway is 3800m in length. RIATÂ (RAF Fairford) is 3046
- The air base is used at other times by the King and other VIPs visiting the island
- The same people behind Farnborough Airshow helped to organise BIAS
- BIAS is the fastest growing airshow in the middle east
- Over 100 aircraft were involved in either air or static displays.
- The Emirates A380 first class cabin is amazing and HUGE
- The static display is a must for fans of military and commercial aircraft.
- The Bahraini’s are excellent hosts and standards appear high in customer service across the board
- If someone offers you a buggy ride to get from A to B at the show, take it!!
Ambassadors approval for Flt Lt Jim Peterson
Simon Martin CMG, UK Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain attended the airshow and was there to greet Flt Lt Jim Peterson as he concluded his last display for the 2018 season. It’s been a great year for Jim who has represented the RAF and Typhoon capabilities across many UK and European airshows during this RAF 100 year.
Engineers from 29 Squadron also attended the show to ensure both jets were serviceable. The engineers are certainly the unsung heroes of these events as they work long and often unsociable hours to ensure everything remains safe and secure. They arrive ahead of time and are the last to leave, without them there would literally be no show!
Flying the flag
Just as the Red Arrows will be doing next year across North America, the Typhoon Display team attend airshows like this one to help support the RAF, industry and UK plc in general. We met members of BAe Systems and learned how having the jet there is key to helping them succeed in their sales strategy to the Middle East. Here’s to next year….
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