Milestone Agreement Paves Way for Direct Flights between US and Bahrain

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to work closely with the Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a safety assessment that could open the door to direct flights between the two nations. This development comes in conjunction with a visit by Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to Washington, where significant security and economic agreements were signed.
The U.S. and Bahrain have set a target of launching nonstop scheduled passenger flights between the nations by the summer of 2024, marking the first such service in over 27 years. Gulf Air, Bahrain’s flag-carrier, is actively working towards resuming U.S. service, having filed an application with the U.S.
Transportation Department to operate scheduled and charter services using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The state-owned carrier is aiming to operate passenger, freight, and mail flights under the existing U.S.-Bahrain air transport agreement.