The Bahrain Aviation Fuelling Company (Bafco) was established in 1985 to consolidate the services previously provided by the various shareholders to handle and operate the into-plane aviation fuelling facilities at Bahrain International Airport.
In 2006, Bafco supplied a total of around 200 million US gallons of jet fuel to nearly 36,000 aircraft and is fuelling the growth of Bahrain International Airport.
With its strategic location, Bahrain International Airport is expanding its facilities to meet increasing traffic from new airlines scheduled to begin operations, increased flight frequencies, enhanced private aviation services and markedly-higher freight volumes.
Bafco is set to play its key role in the significant capacity expansion planned by Bahrain International Airport using projected growth rates of between eight to 11 per cent in passenger traffic; and booming cargo traffic of more than 10 per cent.
Jet fuel demand is increasing at a phenomenal eight to nine per cent and Bafco is meeting the challenge by continuous substantial investments in manpower and state-of-the-art facilities to maintain and enhance standards and meet the increasing capacity demands for jet fuel and provide its customers the most efficient service possible.
For more than two decades, Bafco has been acclaimed for its operations by the international inspection organisations that perform comprehensive audits every year.
Bafco is an ISO 9001:2000 registered company and committed to maintaining its facilities and quality assurance to the highest international standards.
Bafco is owned jointly by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) with 60 per cent; Caltex Bahrain with 27 per cent; and BP Middle East Ltd, with 13 per cent. Each of the fuel-supplying shareholding participants provide international expertise and experience, which aim to make it the finest fuelling company in the Middle East.
The shareholders each negotiate the terms and conditions of sales to the airlines using Bahrain International Airport.
Bafco manages the aviation refueling facilities and equipment at Bahrain International Airport on behalf of its shareholders.
It provides a fuelling service for aircraft under the agreements concluded between the airline and the shareholder concerned.
Bafco has received many accolades and awards throughout its history that in recent years have included:
• 2005 – Air BP Middle East Operations Excellence Awards for “Safety Achievement”.
• 2004 – Air BP Middle East Operations Excellence Award for “Best Third Party Into-Plane Operation”.
• 2004 – ChevronTexaco “Appreciation Award” for “World Class Performance in Operations Excellence and Customer Satisfaction”.
• 2003 – Air BP Global Diamond Award for “Opera-tional Excellence” in recognition of many years of exceptional performance.
This is together with earlier awards in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
Bahrain International Airport is supplied with aviation turbine fuel via a 17.6 km pipeline from the Sitra Tanks, which are owned by the Bahrain Refinery, to the Arad fuel depot, owned by Bafco.
Fuel is filtered and tested at Arad to ensure its compatibility with international standards. After certifying the quality and ensuring that there are no impurities, it is pumped via pipeline to the airport apron where aircraft are refuelled from a hydrant or via refueller vehicles.
The grade of aviation turbine fuel supplied is Jet A-1 produced according to international specifications and is subject to strict quality control measures. The aircraft refuelling facilities and equipment are subjected to regular maintenance, inspection and testing in accordance with international standards and procedures.
Bafco pays special attention to its operational activities and lays particular emphasis on developing the skills of its staff.
Regular training courses are conducted to keep staff abreast of the latest developments.
The company employs a total 110 people with Bahrainis accounting for 99 per cent of the total workforce. The operations staff work on a shift basis, providing a 24-hour service every day of the year.
Bafco manages the supply chain for the fuel from the refinery through to delivery into aircraft.
At each stage of the fuel’s transfer, samples are drawn in order to check for the presence of any impurities with stringent quality control procedures ensuring that the final fuel received by aircraft is free from contamination.
Bafco has a fleet of fuel dispensers, which deliver fuel from a hydrant system into the aircraft.
However, fuel can also be delivered by fuellers to aircraft that may be parked on remote stands, away from the main hydrant. Avgas 100LL is also supplied from drum stock for use in piston engine aircraft.
ISO 9001:2000
The ISO 9000 series of standards embodies a comprehensive set of quality management concepts, that are internationally recognised.
In order to achieve registration of compliance with the standards, a company must arrange to be audited by an accredited independent organisation.
In April 1997, Bafco achieved registration to the ISO 9002 standard for its fuelling operations and since then, the quality management system has continued to be developed.
In January 2004 Bafco successfully transitioned to ISO 9001:2000 registration.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) certifies the registration and ensures ongoing compliance through continuing assessment visits twice per year.
