Hamad International Airport (HIA) recorded a 39.3% increase in aircraft movement and a 149.3% rise in passengers in June 2022, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) has announced. In a post on its official Twitter handle, the QCAA said, “The movement of aircraft at HIA in June increased by 39.3% compared to the same month last year. The number of passengers also increased by 149.3% compared to June 2021.”
The statement also noted that air freight and mail showed a decline of 9.4 percent compared to the same month last year.
According to the QCAA’s infographics, the airport saw 13,031 aircraft movements in June last year, but that number has risen to 18,155 in June this year. On the passenger side, 1,245,766 people passed through HIA in June last year, but that number reached 3,106, 063 in June 2022. However, cargo and mail flow reduced from 217,212 in June 2021 to 197,724 in June this year.
The latest figures consolidate HIA’s growth and recent recognition as the World’s Best Airport by Skytrax for the second straight year.
Last month, the QCAA, in a report, predicted that the number of passengers, including arrivals, departures and transits, at Qatar’s airports around November and December would be over 7 million. The report added that flights at Hamad International Airport (HIA) and Doha International Airport are expected to reach about 28,000 scheduled and chartered flights during the FIFA World Cup from November 21 to December 18, 2022.
The urgent care centres are led by teams of a doctor and nurse, supported by a pharmacy and x-ray service.
The QCAA added that passenger traffic forecasts show the possibility of recording a significant growth ranging from +90 percent to +105 percent compared to 2021, bringing the total number of passengers in the year to approximately 34 million — assuming that the travel recovery continues and more countries remove health-related travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, HIA recently stated that its two-phased passenger-centric expansion plan would ensure increased capacity and greater facilities to cater to an increase in passenger capacity.
The airport is billed to handle 58 million passengers in Phase A expansions, increasing to more than 60 million post 2022 in Phase B.