Qatar sees huge rise in visitor arrivals this year

Qatar

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has recorded an increase in the movement of its passengers during the second quarter of 2022, displaying the ongoing momentum of air traffic recovery. Voted the World’s Best Airport 2022 for the second year in a row by SKYTRAX, HIA’s passenger traffic numbers have been steady and growing strong over the past few months – showing a return to pre-COVID levels.

The average monthly passenger throughput for Q2 2022 indicates that travel between the State of Qatar and the rest of the world has risen significantly, showing an 18 per cent increase in comparison to the first quarter of this year. The passenger transfer percentage also grew by 16 per cent this quarter over last, and the number of outbound local passengers in Q2 was 47 per cent higher than in Q1. The number of inbound passengers increased by 7 per cent in comparison to Q1.

HIA served a total of 2.5 million passengers in the month of April, 2.8 million passengers in May and 3.1 million passengers in June, which is a total of 8.42 million passengers served in the second quarter of 2022.

Commenting on the traffic figures, HIA’s COO, Badr Al Meer, said: “During the second quarter of 2022, HIA recorded more than 100,000 daily passengers and over 3 million passengers in a single month, for the first time since the pandemic, which is a testament to HIA’s well-calculated planning and concerted efforts in rebuilding connectivity and mobility after an unprecedented global pandemic.”

With a busy summer season underway, Al-Meer stressed: “In light of the restrictions placed on travel over the past two years, we have recognised that passengers need to travel this summer and had anticipated the travel rush over this period. Using a combination of technology and effective stakeholder coordination, we mitigated it in advance. Through real-time monitoring of passenger flow across the terminal and forecasting of passenger rushes, we are able to anticipate any traffic issues and mitigate them well in advance, working with our airport stakeholders such as airlines, government partners, contractors, etc."

Not only was Q2 2022 the busiest quarter for HIA since 2020, but the award-winning airport also welcomed Malaysian Airlines in late May 2022 with the launch of daily direct service from DOH to KUL on the A333. This milestone marked the airline’s commitment to enabling optimal connections to the Middle East, the United States, Europe, and Africa.

HIA also continues to expand its network of airline partners, with a strategic partnership with American Airlines established in early June 2022, which involved the launch of daily direct service to New York’s JFK Airport.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ countdown has officially begun as HIA prepares to welcome thousands of fans from all over the world. Qatar’s main airport will be able to host 58 million passengers after phase A of the airport’s expansion wraps up, while phase B of the expansion will begin in early 2023 and will further boost the airport’s capacity to over 60 million passengers. Working with FIFA’s organisational committee, the two-time SKYTRAX #1 airport is ready to welcome fans and visitors with a hassle-free travel experience.