Hamad Int Airport Has Welcomed 120 Million Passengers in Less Than Four Years

Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Qatar has welcomed 120 million passengers since beginning operations on 27 May 2014 and the end of 2017.

In 2017, HIA report an increase in cargo of 14.52%, with a total of 1.9 million tonnes in handling.

HIA successfully recovered its passenger numbers with an average monthly increase of 3.75% in the second half of year, after the initial drop in volume in June 2017 due to the restrictions imposed on the country.

HIA has also been recognized for its punctuality, scoring 85.41% on-time performance (OTP) in OAG’s 2017 Punctuality Report.

HIA’s resilience is due to new strategic partnerships and to a combined effort from the airport, its national carrier, Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism Authority, who have worked together to encourage and promote tourism and travel in Qatar.

While Qatar Airways accelerated its global expansion with the launch of 10 new destinations in 2017, Qatar Tourism Authority’s efforts to allow visa-free entry for citizens of 80 countries makes Qatar one of the most open countries in the region.

Meanwhile, HIA also welcomed several new airlines which started operations in Qatar in 2017 including Oman’s SalamAir, Kuwait’s Al Wataniya Airlines and Jazeera Airways, Bangladesh’s Regent Airways and US Bangla, and IndiGo, India’s largest and fastest growing low-cost carrier.

“HIA is a very resilient and busy airport with a clear vision enabling operational excellence, a solid growth strategy managed by a talented team committed to provide the best travel experience, in addition to joining forces with a world class airline. Its strategic geographical location at crossroads of the Eastern and Western part of the world gives HIA a strong competitive advantage,” said Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA. “At HIA we aim to offer a safe and seamless experience for our customers travelling through the airport and will continue to put the passenger at the core of our strategy and our investments.”

Sports and culture were one of the key highlights of 2017. HIA strengthened its Platinum sponsorship of German football team FC Bayern München, and partnered with Qatar Museums to launch a series of exclusive guided tours of iconic artworks by local and international artists displayed at HIA.

The year 2017 also marked the signature of two major strategic partnerships building on HIA’s Smart Airport Vision. HIA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Huawei, aimed at enabling the airport’s digital transformation in May 2017 and with global IT provider SITA in order to jointly trial and improve passenger processing solutions.

Last but not least, 2017 was a ‘green’ year for the airport. HIA was rewarded for its environmental protection strategy, by successfully reaching Level 3 ‘Optimisation’ status in the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.

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