"AIRPORT OF THE FUTURE"

As reported in the GDN, "Two new terminals are to be opened within four years as a part of a massive BD1.8 billion expansion of Bahrain International Airport. The expansion, planned over the next 30 years, will triple passenger capacity to 27 million a year. Terminal two will be commissioned by 2012 and terminal 1A will become operational a year later, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) chief executive officer Dr. Osama Alali told the GDN. "The two new terminal will make BIA one of the most modern and futuristic in the world." he told the GDN. "All modern facilities including recreation and leisure area, shopping centers, hotels, and anything else that modern travellers needs, will be Incorporated in the new development. Artists' designs even included a swimming pool. The present terminal building (Terminal 1) will be demolished in 2014 and replaced with a brand new state-of-the-art structure within a few years, said Dr. Alali. "Piling work on the Terminal 2 construction will begin early in 2010 and construction will continue at a rapid pace," he said." In a continuation of the article, Dr Alali stated that along with the current 42 international airlines BIA hosts, United Airlines is expected to begin operations in the very near future, giving Bahrain non-stop connections with Washington DC.