Bahrain Air plans to carry more than a million passengers by the end of the year, a top official of the airline has said.

Airline managing director Ibrahim Al Hamer said the target would be achieved with the addition of more aircraft over the next few months as well as more destinations.

Al Hamer was speaking as the company's fifth aircraft was welcomed at Bahrain International Airport.

The aircraft, which was earlier received in Toulouse, France, by Al Hamer and Bahrain Air operations and maintenance director Captain Ahmed Yaqubi, arrived in Bahrain from Damascus, Syria, where it was operated as a commercial flight, carrying 108 passengers.

Civil Aviation Affairs officials and travel agents were also present at the event.

"This is a historic moment since a Bahrain-based private carrier is now offering premium service at affordable fares," Al Hamer said.

"Our fares are already proving to be extremely attractive and we are seeing an increasing interest in our operations."

He said the company's fleet now consists of five planes, and during the next five months, four new aircraft will be delivered from the Airbus factory.

"The sixth aircraft will arrive on May 29, the seventh and eighth will join the fleet by late June, while in October the ninth aircraft will be delivered."

He said the delivery of this total number of aircraft by October will be a record and reflects the airline's ambitious expansion plans in Bahrain.

"We wish to keep increasing the number of destinations and to serve the largest number of passengers flying through Bahrain."

He said with the fifth aircraft, Bahrain Air will be able to fly to more destinations, and increase the frequencies of the existing destinations.

This will provide its passengers with the widest route network in the Middle East and serve the largest number of passengers flying through Bahrain, he added.

It was announced earlier the company plans to operate to Mumbai and Istanbul by July, with Sanaa, Addis Ababa, Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka and Riyadh to be added by October. – TradeArabia News Service