Aviation History
Bahrain's aviation history dates to 1927, and by 1932 its airport had become a stop on Imperial Airways' London-India route, making it one of the earliest true international airports in the Persian Gulf. National carrier Gulf Air grew out of a small 1950 air-taxi operation into the flag carrier of four Gulf states from 1974, before Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Oman progressively withdrew, leaving Bahrain as sole owner since 2007.
A chartered aircraft lands in Bahrain, marking the start of organized aviation activity in the country.
A Handley Page H.P.42 named 'Hannibal' brings scheduled Imperial Airways service through Bahrain on the London-Delhi route, establishing it as one of the Gulf's first international airports.
British pilot Freddie Bosworth registers Gulf Aviation Company, the forerunner of Gulf Air, after running an air-taxi service from Bahrain.
A Foundation Treaty grants Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Oman each 25% ownership, branding the carrier Gulf Air as flag carrier of all four states.
Supersonic Concorde flights connect London and Bahrain, a high-profile chapter in the airport's history.
Following Qatar's 2002 and Abu Dhabi's 2005 exits, Oman withdraws in 2007 and the Bahraini government takes full ownership of Gulf Air.
Bahrain International Airport's new terminal opens, lifting annual capacity to about 14 million passengers.
Gulf Air
Wikipedia, Bahrain Airport Company, Gulf Air corporate history