00:03International connectivity is a vital catalyst for economic vitality, driving tourism, trade, and business investment across borders.
00:14As our aviation sector continues, its strong post-recovery trajectory, Malaysia's airports are experiencing robust passenger traffic growth.
00:24In 2025, there were 104.5 million passengers, and our forecast for this year, forecast by the Civil Aviation Authority,
00:41it will be between 103.8 million to 109.7 million passengers.
00:49You know, this is the projected national air passage traffic for this year.
00:54So we hope that, inshallah, our, the number of passengers might be more than this, inshallah.
01:01That's what we're hoping.
01:03The return of Gulf Air helps to meet the traffic projections and accommodate the growing demand from the international sector.
01:14The resumption of this route is particularly timely.
01:19With the arrival of sports fans and visitors for the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026,
01:28this direct flight offers maximum convenience for international visitors.
01:32Furthermore, as we build momentum for Visit Malaysia 2026 and prepare to host the 34th Southeast Asia Games and the
01:4414th ASEAN Paragames in 2027,
01:49strong international airings with key source markets like the Gulf Air are essential.
01:57Today, we celebrate the resumption of a direct service by Gafir, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain between
02:07Manama and Kualaambur.
02:09It was just like a dream.
02:11When I came here two years back, the first thing I was thinking about is to get back our national
02:17carrier to this country.
02:18This is more than re-opening of an air route.
02:23It is the restoration of an important bridge between two countries whose diplomatic relationships date back to about 1974.
02:36So we do have a great relationship with this country for more than 50 years now.
02:41Together, these developments reflect the growing breadth of our relationships across diplomacy, aviation, trade, investment, tourism, and sports.
