Business deals worth $850 million were signed at the second Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS), said a Senior Government Official.

Millions of dollars have also been pumped into the economy by the thousands of visitors who came to Bahrain for the three-day event, said Civil Aviation Affairs (CAA) Under Secretary Captain Abdulrahman Al Gaoud.

“We have already recorded $850 million in business deals,” he said during a Press conference at the BIAS Media Centre to mark the conclusion of the event Saturday.

“Around 50,000 visitors had already been logged at the end of the second day and we expect to close at more than 60,000.”

Bombardier Aerospace said Geneva-based PrivatAir has placed a firm order for 5 CS100 airliners at BIAS and has taken options on an additional 5 CS100 aircraft.

Based on the list price for the CS100 aircraft, the firm order contract is valued at $309 million and could increase to $636 million US if the 5 options are exercised.

Capt Al Gaoud, who is also a member of the show's Supreme Organizing Committee, also revealed plans to increase the size of the event by at least 50% for the 2014 edition.

“We have plans to build a new car park, a brand new and much bigger public area as well as increase by 50% the trade area for the next show,” he said.

Many of the companies that signed deals at the show have also announced plans to set up operations in Bahrain in the near future, revealed Capt Al Gaoud.

“We are happy that despite the difficult times we have had in the last one year, we have been able to host a very successful show,” he said.

Another Member of the Organizing Committee, Sakhir Air Base Commander Brigadier Mohamed Al Mosalam said officials had been inundated with demands to make the show bigger. “We have already set in motion the plans to do so,” he said.

The show, which was held from 19-21 January, was organized by Farnborough International in collaboration with CAA.