India’s largest airline IndiGo has launched its maiden flight to Bahrain, making the Gulf country its 25th international destination and 99th destination on its network. The launch of direct flights from Mumbai will help boost tourism traffic from India, a key source market that Bahrain is targetting this year.

Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and managing body of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), welcomed the arrival of the inaugural IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Bahrain, following the commencement of a new direct service. The aircraft received the traditional water cannon salute as it taxied to the terminal to mark the occasion.

A BAC delegation led by Chief Commercial Officer, Ayman Zainal, Director, Aeronautical Revenues, Shashi Panicker, and Manager, Airline Marketing & Routes Development, Nawal Al Majed, welcomed IndiGo’s Director of Start-Up Operations, Gurpreet Grewal, Airport Manager, Rohan Ravindra Jagtap, Airport Security Officer, Reena Dias, and Mohit Goyal from the IT Department. Also in attendance were representatives from World Travel Service, the general sales agents for IndiGo in Bahrain, including CEO, Hisham El Saadi, General Manager, Haifa Oun, and Airport and Cargo Manager, Ebrahim A Rasool Al Banna.

“We are pleased to announce Bahrain as our 25th international and 99th overall destination in the 6E network. These new flights will enhance international connectivity and bolster trade, commerce and tourism between India and the Kingdom of Bahrain, which is known for its pearl diving and trading tradition. Bahrain will be the first post covid international addition to the 6E network. We will strive to stay true to our promise of affordable fares, on-time performance, courteous and hassle-free service across wide network, onboard our lean clean flying machines,” says Sanjay Kumar, chief strategy and revenue officer, IndiGo.

“With the launch of the new Passenger Terminal, we are prepared for a surge in the number of airlines operating out of BIA and remain committed to working with our partners to develop new routes that will further connect Bahrain with the rest of the world. In line with this, we look forward to working with IndiGo to deliver an improved travel experience for its customers. The introduction of this new route will further strengthen the historic ties between the Kingdom of Bahrain and India, making it more convenient for passengers traveling between our countries for business and leisure,” Zainal says.

Bahrain is IndiGo’s 25th international destination and the company is planning to introduce more flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and other major Indian cities in October this year.