Bahrain-registered airline Texel Air welcomed the first Boeing 737-700 FlexCombi™ to its growing fleet, a press release confirmed. The private airline and MRO company can now use the brand-new combi conversion, developed with Tampa-based PEMCO World Air Services, as a versatile third–party cargo charter solution. 

The Bahrain-stationed aircraft can be configured to prioritise cargo capacity or up to 24 passenger seats for government, express integrator and commercial operations within a 48-hour time frame. It can also load both civil (PAG) and (463L) pallets. 

For medical evacuation flights, the aircraft has two speciality medical beds (AEROMED stretchers) installed. Initial and planned configurations include combinations of six to eight pallet positions and 4 to 24 business or economy seats. 

With Bahrain playing witness to the startup airline’s transition into a leading niche cargo operator, Texel parked its cargo aircraft at the company hangar at the Bahrain International Airport, greeted by Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, Minister of Transportation & Telecommunications, alongside VIPs, management and board members of Texel Air. 

“From our strategic position in Bahrain, a growing regional hub for aviation and logistics, we will operate this versatile aircraft, serving an international roster of clients that have long awaited a solution that provides them with unmatched levels of flexibility” said George Chisholm, CEO of Texel Air’s parent firm Chisholm Enterprises, added 

Chisholm cited the supportive ecosystem and infrastructure of Bahrain’s aviation sector as instrumental in achieving its first-of-a-kind Boeing 737-700 FlexCombi. 

“We would also like to thank the Ministry of Transportation & Telecommunications’ Civil Aviation Affairs for the support we have received throughout the development process, which has been excellent.” 

“Among the factors setting Bahrain’s aviation sector apart, and fostering our success, are the benefits of its investment strategies including its Free Trade agreements and open approach to start ups from outside, the Kingdom’s strategic geographic location, which makes it very well placed to serve the broader region, the Civil Aviation’s many strong bi-lateral ties and the deep experience and specialist expertise in its aviation services industry that has enabled us to bring in a unique aircraft that is more complicated than a standard passenger or cargo aircraft to be based here.” 

PEMCO World Air Services, who effectively translated the FlexCombi concept into an approved FAA STC, won “Innovator of the Year” at the Chicago Freighters World Conference in September 2017.