December 10 - Turk Heavy Transport plans to become the second freight agent in the Gulf to bring the Antonov AN-225 freighter aircraft to Bahrain.
According to company business development manager, Jamal Abdulaziz Al Baluchi, a market exists in the country for the world's largest freighter aircraft, which has a carrying capacity of approximately 250 tonnes.
"This aircraft is so versatile that it can carry almost anything and quickly," explained Al Baluchi, adding, "It is an aircraft that is not cheap to run and not cheap to hire and will cater to the larger industries in Bahrain like Alba and Bapco, as well as the very wealthy as they have been known to transport yachts."
Moreover: "In the next three to four years we are expecting several major industrial projects to come up; therefore there will be an influx of imported material and cargo."
However, he cautioned that in order to maximise the useful capacity of the aircraft, the runway at Bahrain International Airport - the country's primary gateway - is currently too short to accommodate the AN-225 and will need to be extended.
