Bahrain International Airport (BIA) aims to accommodate 13.5 million passengers per annum, said a senior airport official, emphasising the importance of stepping up police readiness and improving human resources to meet the expansion plans.

In an interview with Bahrain News Agency, BIA Police director Colonel Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Al Dosary said his department is keen on providing all services and facilities for passengers using BIA while easing up impediments which may confront them in line with the regulations incorporated in the Interior Ministry's security strategy.

The number of passengers who travelled through Bahrain International Airport topped 8,102, 106 last year, the official said while releasing the updated figures.

Citing compiled figures for last year, Col Al Dosary said police checked a total of 5,643,595 carry-on bags, in addition to 4,910,134 luggage items.

He stressed full compliance with the rules and regulations set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation while dealing with passengers.

The directorate works in tandem with the Civil Aviation Affairs, Bahrain Airport Company and other concerned authorities to provide the necessary services and ensure the passengers' safety, he said, while underlining the directives of Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa to ensure top security standards.

'The directorate is monitoring the airport's security situation through surveillance cameras as part of efforts to ensure passengers' safety, smoothen the flow of traffic and foil smuggling,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service