Bahrain, Thailand ink open-sky transport accord
Bahrain signed an open-sky air-transport agreement with Thailand late last week to double Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Thailand by July.
TradeArabia News Service said the pact had been signed by Bahrain's Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa al-Khalifa and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and acting Culture Minister Surakiart Sathirathai. Surakiart was on a visit to Bahrain to formally inaugu- rate the Thai Business Centre's office there. Thailand sees Bahrain as its gateway to the West Asian market. The countries also held talks to boost trade and investment. The air agreement will allow the countries to operate an unlimited number of flights between themselves. "The agreement reflects Bahrain's open-sky policy," said Sheikh Ali. "We currently have open-sky agreements with more than 10 countries. We encourage international airlines to come to Bahrain and enjoy the top-quality facilities at our airport, combined with friendly, efficient service." He stressed the Bahraini government's commitment to strengthening ties with Thailand. "Bahrain's airport is set to undergo a multimillion-dinar expansion shortly, and we will continue to deliver the warm and friendly service for which we are internationally renowned," he added. Sathirathai said he was delighted to formalise the agreement with Bahrain. "This is one of the most liberalised air-service agreements we have signed with any country," he said. He said Thai Airways was planning to resume flights to Bahrain. "Both Bahrain and Thailand are parties to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, inaugurated in Chicago on December 7, 1944," he said. "The new agreement is supplementary to the convention and designed to establish air services between and beyond our own territories." Gulf Air currently operates daily flights to Bangkok from Bahrain, along with four flights a week from Muscat. "By July we will have doubled the frequency, with 14 flights a week between Bahrain and Thailand," said Gulf Air network vice-president Fareed al-Alawi. Assistant Under-Secretary for Aviation Services Ahmed Nemat Ali said air traffic between Bahrain and Thailand had grown 15 per cent annually over the past five years.
|
