Bahrain International airport witnessed a jump of almost 10 per cent in passenger numbers in 2012 compared with the previous year.

The airport recorded a total of 8,479,884 passengers last year, an increase of 8.8 per cent on 2011.

A total of 4,161,322 passengers were recorded arriving at the airport, with about 4,106,153 recorded departing the airport. A total of 212,409 passengers, just over 2 per cent of the total number of passengers, were recorded as in transit at Bahrain International.

Bahrain’s aviation sector had a tough year in 2011, with both the country’s airlines and airport having to contend with government restrictions on where passenger aircraft could fly.

The authorities had feared groups from countries such as Iran and Iraq were flying into Bahrain to incite rioters, exacerbating the civil unrest witnessed that year.