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.