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 Qatar and the rest of the world has risen significantly, showing an 18% increase in comparison to the first quarter of this year.
The passenger transfer percentage also grew by 16% this quarter over last, and the number of outbound local passengers in Q2 was 47% higher than in Q1. The number of inbound passengers increased by 7% in comparison to Q1.
HIA served a total of 2.5mn passengers in April, 2.8mn passengers in May and 3.1mn passengers in June, which is a total of 8.42mn passengers served in the second quarter of 2022.
Commenting on the traffic figures, HIA’s chief operating officer, Badr al-Meer said, “During the second quarter of 2022, HIA recorded more than 100,000 daily passengers and over 3mn 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 the busiest quarter for HIA since 2020, but the award-winning airport also welcomed Malaysian Airlines in late May with the launch of daily direct service from Doha to Kuala Lumpur. 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, 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 58mn 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 60mn 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.