BAHRAIN: DHL and Capital A Aviation Projects Among Four Awarded Golden Licenses

MANAMA, Bahrain

• Bahrain has awarded Golden Licenses to four projects worth a combined USD 3.89 billion, two of them in aviation, at the Gateway Gulf 2026 investment forum.
• DHL will build its first and only regional Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at Bahrain International Airport (BAH), supporting its growing fleet and its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) hub in the Kingdom.
• Bahrain-registered DHL Air (Bahrain) B.S.C. Closed, t/a DHL International Aviation, operates ten 767-300(F)s out of Manama.
• Capital A, the parent company of Malaysian LCC brand AirAsia, will lead three aviation ventures in Bahrain covering new connectivity to the Far East and Europe, a phased expansion of air cargo capacity, and in-country aircraft MRO.
• The release did not give a breakdown of the USD 3.89 billion by project, or timelines for the DHL and Capital A ventures.
• The other two licenses went to a Meliá and Infracorp waterfront hotel and residences development in Amwaj, and to Digital City Bahrain, a hub for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), innovation, and education.
• The fourth edition of Gateway Gulf is being held November 1–2, 2026, at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. It is hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), and the invitation-only forum brings together more than 200 ministers, senior officials, chief executives, and investors.
• Golden Licenses are granted to large-scale strategic projects in Bahrain as part of its push to diversify the economy. Non-oil activity now makes up around 86% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Sources:

• PR Newswire