Decision to reschedule event’s eighth edition comes amid continued conflict involving Iran and the US.
Ongoing instability in the Middle East region has prompted the Bahrain International Airshow’s organisers to delay the event by two years from its intended dates during November.
Confirming the decision on 7 September, the show’s supreme organising committee said the rescheduling is “intended to allow for broader international participation from visitors, exhibitors, delegations and industry partners”.
“The eighth edition of the event… will now take place from 15-17 November 2028,” it says.
Notably, the announcement makes no direct reference to the months-long conflict between the US and Iran, which began in late February as Washington launched Operation Epic Fury. Tehran’s forces have launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes against air bases and other military infrastructure used by the US and its allies in the region, including sites inside Bahrain such as the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet Headquarters.
The ordinarily biennial event had been planned to run from 18-20 November at Sakhir air base near Manama.
Tensions between the US and Iran were already at a heightened state when the most recent Bahrain show took place in November 2024. In a show of force, Washington sent a pair of Boeing B-52Hs to overfly the show, with one of the US Air Force bombers also making an appearance in the static display for the first time.
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