“Bahrain’s logistics and transport sector is treading on the right path of growth with a projected growth of 6% in 2012 followed by an average growth of 7-8% in the years 2013-2015. Bahrain also plans to expand the cargo capacity at the airport by 40% to 1.5 million tons per year by 2015,” Vivian Jamal, Director of Business Development at the EDB, said.
Welcoming the First Flight Couriers Ltd., India’s largest domestic and international courier company, with over 1000 offices and a workforce of more than 10,000 employees across India, which launched its Bahrain office on Tuesday, said. “The opening of India’s largest courier company in Bahrain will help in achieving its growth targets in logistics and transport sector.”
“First Flight’s decision to locate in Bahrain reflects the Kingdom’s established position as a regional logistics and transportation hub. Strategically located at the heart of the Gulf, Bahrain has long been considered the gateway to the region, with easy access to the large economies of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. With excellent transport infrastructure, and the causeway linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain’s logistics industry has been growing fast in response to increasing demand from businesses.”
“We welcome First Flight’s decision to open a branch office in Bahrain; a move that reflects the attractive investment environment and reliable infrastructure in the Kingdom. The logistics sector has received a further boost with the opening of First Flight’s operations in Manama – a promising development and one that can raise the volume of trade between Bahrain and the world,” Vivian Jamal, added.
“There is very strong potential for growth in the Middle Eastern market, and in particular the trillion-dollar Gulf economies. With the shortest travel time between its seaport, airport and the logistics processing zones of anywhere in the Gulf, we think that Bahrain offers us the best location from which to access that opportunity,” Johnson Mooda Thomas, Managing Director of First Flight Couriers (Middle East), said.
“The Kingdom has made, and continues to make, significant investments in its logistics infrastructure, and the industry is set to flourish in the coming years as cargo volumes in the Gulf increases. Significant infrastructure projects include: The Khalifa bin Salman Port, Bahrain Logistics Zone, Bahrain International Airport expansion projects, Salman Industrial City Project, Bahrain International Investment Park and the planned rail and road bridges to Qatar. Bahrain is ranked second in the Middle East and 32nd of 155 economies worldwide in the World Bank’s Global Logistics Performance Index 2010,” Vivian Jamal added.