Hamad International Airport (HIA) served a record 38,786,422 passengers in 2019, the most number of passengers it has served since the start of its operations in 2014, and which makes 2019 the most successful year yet for the airport. This also shows a year-on-year growth of 12.44% compared to passenger numbers in 2018.
Eight new passenger destinations were added to HIA’s global network in 2019: Davao, Philippines; Rabat, Morocco; Izmir, Turkey; Gaborone, Botswana; Langkawi, Malaysia; Mogadishu, Somalia; Malta and Lisbon, Portugal. Three new cargo destinations were also added to the HIA network – Istanbul, New York and Almaty.
Fifteen airlines operating at HIA increased their weekly flight frequencies: Kuwait Airways, Salam Air, Philippine Airlines, Oman Air and Air India Express. HIA also welcomed two new airline partners – Air India and Tarco Aviation. HIA was handling 232,917 aircraft movements in 2019, 5.57% more than in the previous year.
According Engineer Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA, 2019 has been a spectacular year for HIA, having broken their record for the most number of passengers served since the commencement of their operations. It was also an exciting year for the airport, for they became the gateway to some of the world’s biggest sporting events – the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 and the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 – which were successfully hosted by Qatar.
Looking ahead, we’re focused on increasing our operational capacity through our major airport expansion project which is a vital part of the airports rapid growth and the country’s preparations to host the 2022 World Cup and beyond.’
Multi-Phased Expansion Plan
HIA announced its multi-phased airport expansion plan in 2019. Phase A of the expansion is set to comprise of a central concourse linking concourses D and E and will increase the airport’s capacity to more than 53 million passengers annually by 2022. Phase B, which will be completed after 2022, will extend concourses D and E to further enhance the airport’s capacity to more than 60 million passengers annually. The expansion project will also feature a 10,000 sqm indoor tropical garden, a 268 sqm water feature, 11,720 sqm of landscaped retail and F&B space, and 9,000 sqm of world-class Al Mourjan lounge.
HIA also introduced innovative solutions in 2019 to achieve operational excellence and enhanced passenger experience in the terminal. The airport implemented advanced software solutions for passenger forecasting and queue measurement which provides real time passenger traffic forecasting as well as calculating waiting times and throughputs which are visualised on a live dashboard, allowing the airport to keep waiting times in check. The software has enabled the operational staff to be proactive and stay agile in the terminal’s dynamic environment.
Along with HIA’s self-check-in and self-bag-drop kiosks, which was introduced in the terminal to provide passengers with a faster and smoother check in process, HIA recently introduced ten automated security gates at the pre-immigration area, so passengers can scan their own boarding cards and proceed to immigration, providing passengers with a truly autonomous travel experience.
HIA was voted as the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the third consecutive year in 2019 at the 16th Annual Global Traveler’s GT Tested Reader Survey Awards in Los Angeles, recognising it for its outstanding performance in providing an exceptional experience to travellers. It received the ‘Best Passenger Experience Initiative’ silver award at the Future Travel Experience (FTE) Asia Awards 2019 in Singapore in November 2019 in recognition of its Smart Airport Program. It was also named the ‘Best Airport for Passenger Experience’ for the second consecutive year by AirHelp, the world’s leading air passenger rights specialist.
HIA is currently a candidate for the ‘Best Airport in the World’ award by Skytrax. Passengers can vote for HIA by visiting the Official Skytrax World Airport Survey website. For updates and more information about HIA, visit dohahamadairport.com.