Qatar’s international five-star gateway has clocked 211,658 aircraft movements from April 2017 to March 2018

Qatar’s international five-star gateway, Hamad International Airport (HIA) handled 34,212,750 passengers and 211,658 aircraft movements from April 2017 to March 2018.

HIA, which is Qatar Airways’ home and hub, has welcomed 120mn passengers since beginning its operations on May 27, 2014 until the end of 2017.

In 2017, cargo observed an increase by 14.52%, with a total of 2,068,073 tonnes in handling, according to ‘Qatar Airways Annual Report 2018’ released here yesterday.

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

HIA has also been recognised for its punctuality, ranking among the most punctual major airports, scoring 85.41% on-time performance (OTP), as demonstrated in aviation analysts OAG’s 2017 Punctuality Report.

2017 was also 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.

Hamad International Airport continues to be “one of the fastest growing hubs” in the world. Its state-of-the-art facilities, luxurious shopping and dining concepts and welcoming atmosphere make it a centre of operational excellence, and ensure that Qatar Airways’ flight experience is complemented by the same level of service, comfort and hospitality on the ground as in the skies.

HIA has won a raft of major awards, including being classified as a Five-Star Airport by Skytrax – the most prestigious recognition for quality for airports across the world, becoming the first ever Middle Eastern airport to achieve this honour.

The airport was also ranked by Skytrax as the “Fifth Best Airport in the World” at the 2018 Skytrax World Airport Awards, moving up one place from last year.

During the awards, HIA also took home the title for “Best Airport in the Middle East” for the fourth consecutive year, “Best Staff Service in the Middle East” for the third year in a row, was ranked fourth “Best Airport for Shopping” and fifth “Best Airport for Dining”.

“HIA’s resilience is due to new strategic partnerships, a solid growth strategy, and a combined effort from the airport, 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 plans, Qatar Tourism Authority’s promotion of visa-free entry for citizens of 80 countries in August 2017 makes Qatar the most ‘open country’ in the region and supports HIA’s continuous growth,” the report noted.