Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways soar high in 2024

National carrier Qatar Airways and the country’s global gateway Hamad International Airport (HIA) made significant strides in 2024, expanding in terms of route and network, handling record passengers, embracing cutting-edge technology and winning many prestigious awards.

Many international airlines from China, India, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Japan launched services to HIA in 2024.

HIA is Qatar Airways’ home and hub in Doha.

In June, Qatar Airways was awarded the ‘Airline of the Year’ title by Skytrax, returning to the top for an unprecedented eighth time.

The 5-star carrier was also recognised with three additional awards: ‘World's Best Business Class’, ‘World's Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’.

In April, HIA again secured its position as the ‘World’s Best Airport’ by the prestigious 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards held at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2024 in Frankfurt.

The airport also clinched the title of ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’ for the second time in a row and ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the tenth consecutive year.

HIA's recognition was based on “meticulous assessments” conducted by air travellers. They evaluated the airport's performance across key performance indicators and selected it as the best in the world amongst a group of over 500 global airport contenders.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Badr Mohamed al-Meer, who spearheaded the development and growth of HIA over the past decade, said: “This is a remarkable achievement for Hamad International Airport, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary of operational excellence, connecting passengers seamlessly from all around the world.

In October last year, HIA reported serving 13.7mn passengers in the third quarter (Q3), reflecting a robust 7.9% growth compared to the same period last year.

Point-to-point traffic also experienced growth by 11.7%, contributing to the airport's overall performance.

The passenger traffic growth was driven by strong demand for air travel, with July marking the airport’s busiest month ever, handling 4,742,068 passengers followed by 4,717,885 passengers in August and 4,246,742 in September.

In the same month in 2024, Qatar Aviation Services (QAS), the ground handling provider for HIA, received the ‘Enhanced Ground Support Equipment’ (GSE) recognition certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

QAS was the “first ground handling service in the GCC region” to achieve this esteemed recognition, further establishing its leadership in ground operations.

Building on the "dynamic growth" observed in the first half (H1) of 2024, HIA announced that July became the busiest month in its operational history, serving a “remarkable” 4.73mn passengers.

This milestone represented a significant 10.2% increase compared to July of the previous year, solidifying the airport’s status as a leading global aviation hub.

In July last year, HIA partnered with Siemens to optimise its district cooling infrastructure, aimed to conserve and reduce energy consumption and support the airport’s growth plans.

Completed in November 2023, the project is in line with HIA’s environmental sustainability goals which includes reducing carbon efficiency by 30% by 2030.

HIA’s district cooling infrastructure includes five district cooling plants, with a production capacity of 62,000 tonnes, to cater to the cooling requirement for the airport. With Phase B of the airport’s expansion underway and to reduce the consumption of electricity required for cooling, the airport partnered with Siemens to leverage its patented ‘Demand Flow’ technology from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, which enables digital transformation in industry and infrastructure faster and at scale.

The world’s first Gulfstream G700, a premium business jet, owned by Qatar Executive (QE), the corporate jet subsidiary of Qatar Airways Group, was “exclusively revealed” at HIA in May 2024.

By welcoming the delivery of two new Gulfstream G700 aircraft to the fleet, Qatar Executive became the worldwide exclusive commercial operator of the aircraft.

Qatar Executive is the first carrier to offer the Gulfstream G700 to charter customers, continuing to provide an ultra-modern fleet with the ultimate in aircraft capabilities, luxury and performance.

In March last year, HIA introduced “dedicated screening lanes” for families with younger children transferring through the airport.

The dedicated family lanes will reduce wait times at security checkpoints and provide staff assistance to aide families with their personal belongings.

“This initiative reflects the airport's commitment to minimising stress and wait times, underscoring its dedication to providing a seamless and efficient travel experience for all passengers,” HIA said.

Since its inauguration in 2014, HIA has emerged as a leading global aviation hub, continuously expanding and enhancing its network.

Many recent partnerships reflect Qatar’s commitment to strengthening its tourism offerings, aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030.

Hamad International Airport's innovative air service development strategy has been pivotal in attracting numerous airlines and establishing seamless routes, reinforcing the airport’s position as a critical gateway for global connectivity.