Terminal operations 2012
Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) plans to upgrade the Bahrain International Airport terminal.
2013
BAC decides to construct an entirely new terminal rather than upgrade the existing one.
2014
Design and project management consultants are appointed to the project.
2015
Preparations for the site get under way
2016
The main contractor is appointed and breaks ground on the new terminal.
2019
Bahrain International Airport sees over 9.5 million passengers pass through its doors, five million more than it was originally designed to process.
2020
Bahrain International Airport loses
around 76% of its annual traffic due to Covid-19.
Jan 2021
Bahrain International Airport opens its new $1.1bn terminal.
2023
Bahrain International Airport’s traffic levels are expected to return to 2019 levels.
2040
New life expectancy of Bahrain International Airport due to opening of new terminal.
28
This also ensured that nobody – passengers or staff – was going to be exposed to unnecessary risk. Contactless technology was always going to be integral to the new terminal, but amid a global pandemic, it had new meaning. “We had to reflect on the way passengers and authorities reacted to the pandemic – technology became very much an obvious response to enhance the safety and well-being of not only passengers but staff working in the terminal building,” Al Binfalah says. “No one was really prepared so we had to improvise like everyone else, thinking about how to facilitate the passenger journey in this new reality. It was a bit hectic, but we managed to pull all the strings that were needed to start operations in January 2021.”
A streamlined customer journey Underpinned by a robust IT platform made up of 25 integrated subsystems, the new terminal building is highly connected. “It is the ideal IT environment to grow and to respond to the ever-changing technological solutions within the airport industry,” says Al Binfalah.
The passenger journey is virtually contactless. Passengers can complete their check-in procedures through self-service kiosks, including checking-in their own baggage. They then use their boarding pass to move from the check-in area to border control. CT scanning has been implemented at the hand luggage screening stage, so passengers do not have to pull their electronics or liquids out of their bags. At border control, they are then met by e-gates with facial recognition. Security remains manual, although human contact has been minimised through technology. “The only part that must be done manually is the boarding gate and this is mainly to do with managing entry visa requirements,” Al Binfalah explains. “That is something, unfortunately, that will take time to automate.”
That said, the airport is working on a pilot project for a single-token, end-to-end solution from check-in to the boarding gate. “Once implemented, I believe this will tell us and our partners at the airport a lot about how to prepare for the future and for similar disruptions. In my opinion, this pandemic is probably not going to be the last one that we have to deal with,” Al Binfalah notes.
One of the biggest challenges the airport expects to face when implementing more contactless technology is information protection. “There is a lot of personal data that needs to be captured, whether biometrics or otherwise. We are conscious of the fact that we need to put in place a system that will respond to such concerns,” Al Binfalah says. “I think that’s where we need to focus on the pilot project – how to strike a balance between the facilitation requirements and the data protection expectations by passengers.”
Design priorities
The shift from the old terminal to the new has been a major one for airport staff, with many of their roles and responsibilities having to be reshaped. “Not only have we put a lot of time and effort into familiarising them with the new technology; we are also emphasising more the importance of creating a pleasant experience,” Al Binfalah says. “Some of the staff that became more available are now dedicating more of their time into looking after the passenger journey at the terminal.”
They are supported by the layout of the new terminal, which was consciously designed not to compromise the customer experience, with outdoor terraces and elements of Bahrain’s local heritage integrated throughout. “We had an opportunity to look at various layouts and decided on a design that is similar to the old one, with minimal number of levels in terms of navigating
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com
Bahrain Airport Company
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