* Conservative estimates show HIA and DIA will be used by more than 7mn passengers in November and December
At least 34mn passengers are expected at Hamad International Airport (HIA) in 2022, marking a significant increase over 2021, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said in a report.
Also, the expected number of passengers (arrivals, departures and transit) during the months of November and December - coinciding with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - will exceed the numbers recorded during the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, by an average of about 11%, the report shows.
Conservative estimates show there will be about 3.5mn passengers in November and 3.6mn in December.
The projections reflect positive expectations and high recovery rates in 2022, according to a tweet by the CAA.
"With reference to the latest information related to easing restrictions imposed on air travel, and the removal of all health-related travel restrictions in about 25% of countries (most of them are in Europe), the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority has issued a special report on the latest projections related to the number of passengers expected in 2022," the CAA said in a statement yesterday.
The passenger forecast is based on various industry indicators, including the anticipated gradual recovery of international air transport from the Covid-19 pandemic and the continuous easing of health-related travel restrictions. Further, the report has been updated with the latest IATA Air Transport data (Airport-IS) related to statistics until the end of 2022.
In addition, an assumption on the expected volume of charter and shuttle flights has been considered during the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qatar 2022 between HIA/DIA and other GCC airports, based on agreements signed recently concluded between Qatar Airways Group and flydubai, Saudia, Oman Air and Kuwait Airways, the QCAA statement notes.
The report prepared by the Air Transport Department follows two tracks in the predictions related to the number of passengers during the World Cup - conservative and aggressive.
Passenger traffic forecasts shows the possibility of recording a significant growth, ranging from 90% to 105% compared to 2021, bringing the total number of passengers according to the conservative track to approximately 34mn. The number of passengers according to the aggressive track is expected to exceed 36mn, assuming travel recovery continues and more countries remove health-related travel restrictions.
According to the forecast, the number of passenger flights at both Hamad and Doha international airports are expected to reach about 28,000 scheduled and chartered flights during the World Cup, which is scheduled to be held from November 21 to December 18.
The report also shows that the expected number of passengers (arrivals, departures and transit) during the months of November and December will exceed the numbers recorded during the same period in 2019, that is before the Covid-19 pandemic, by an average of about 11%.
The total number of passengers expected in November will be about 3.5mn based on the conservative track and 4.1mn based on the aggressive track. In December, the corresponding figures will reach 3.6mn passengers based on the conservative track and more than 4.7mn based on the aggressive track.
Also, the expected number of passengers (arrivals, departures and transit) during the months of November and December - coinciding with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - will exceed the numbers recorded during the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, by an average of about 11%, the report shows.
Conservative estimates show there will be about 3.5mn passengers in November and 3.6mn in December.
The projections reflect positive expectations and high recovery rates in 2022, according to a tweet by the CAA.
"With reference to the latest information related to easing restrictions imposed on air travel, and the removal of all health-related travel restrictions in about 25% of countries (most of them are in Europe), the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority has issued a special report on the latest projections related to the number of passengers expected in 2022," the CAA said in a statement yesterday.
The passenger forecast is based on various industry indicators, including the anticipated gradual recovery of international air transport from the Covid-19 pandemic and the continuous easing of health-related travel restrictions. Further, the report has been updated with the latest IATA Air Transport data (Airport-IS) related to statistics until the end of 2022.
In addition, an assumption on the expected volume of charter and shuttle flights has been considered during the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qatar 2022 between HIA/DIA and other GCC airports, based on agreements signed recently concluded between Qatar Airways Group and flydubai, Saudia, Oman Air and Kuwait Airways, the QCAA statement notes.
The report prepared by the Air Transport Department follows two tracks in the predictions related to the number of passengers during the World Cup - conservative and aggressive.
Passenger traffic forecasts shows the possibility of recording a significant growth, ranging from 90% to 105% compared to 2021, bringing the total number of passengers according to the conservative track to approximately 34mn. The number of passengers according to the aggressive track is expected to exceed 36mn, assuming travel recovery continues and more countries remove health-related travel restrictions.
According to the forecast, the number of passenger flights at both Hamad and Doha international airports are expected to reach about 28,000 scheduled and chartered flights during the World Cup, which is scheduled to be held from November 21 to December 18.
The report also shows that the expected number of passengers (arrivals, departures and transit) during the months of November and December will exceed the numbers recorded during the same period in 2019, that is before the Covid-19 pandemic, by an average of about 11%.
The total number of passengers expected in November will be about 3.5mn based on the conservative track and 4.1mn based on the aggressive track. In December, the corresponding figures will reach 3.6mn passengers based on the conservative track and more than 4.7mn based on the aggressive track.
