(GAA) a wholly owned subsidiary of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, has confirmed with the Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) organisers that it will take part in the second BIAS in January 2012, following its highly successful participation at the inaugural event last year.

The Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) is organised by Civil Aviation Affairs for the Kingdom of Bahrain (CAA) in conjunction with international exhibition organisers, Farnborough International Limited (FIL). BIAS 2012 will take place under the patronage of His Majesty, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, from 19-21 January at the state-of-the-art event venue at Sakhir Air Base, Kingdom of Bahrain, which was purpose-built for the show. The launch of this exclusive five star event took place in 2010 with some US$1 billion in orders announced during the show and numerous high-level delegations and VIP visitors in attendance.

At the 2010 event, GAA announced the launch of the first Aviation Academy in Bahrain which will play a vital role in increasing the aviation industry’s presence in the region and in the development of Bahrain’s air transport infrastructure.

Captain Abdulrahman Al Gaoud, Undersecretary for Civil Aviation Affairs and Deputy Chairman of BIAS Supreme organizing committee, said: “We are delighted that GAA will be joining us for the next Bahrain International Airshow. The successful launch of the new academy at BIAS 2010 was a fantastic step forward in terms of aviation training for the Kingdom and was an important, high profile announcement for the show. We look forward with anticipation of further developments to be announced at BIAS 2012.” Commenting on the announcement, Tim Shattock, Chief Executive Officer of GAA, said:  “We at GAA are pleased to once again taking part in the Bahrain International Airshow 2012 following the success of our participation and official launch during the inaugural BIAS two years ago. BIAS 2012 will provide the Academy with a great opportunity to meet with our growing number of customers and build new relationships.

“Since our inauguration, GAA has been working closely together with the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs (BCAA) to position Bahrain as a centre of excellence for aviation training in the MENA region through providing quality aviation training solutions across the aviation industry. We are looking forward to a highly productive show and the opportunity to once again network with existing business partners and meet experts in the global Aerospace market.” Mr. Shattock concluded.