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Qatar’s Hamad International Airport records 164% rise in passenger footfall in H1 2022

According to Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, HIA recorded 15.6 million passengers in the first half of this year

by Zubina Ahmed

August 5, 2022

Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (HIA) has witnessed an increase of over 164 per cent in passengers’ movement in the first half of 2022 compared to same period of last year.

According to the statistics released by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), HIA recorded 15.6 million passengers in the first half of this year, roughly three times more in the same period last year. In the first half of 2021, passenger traffic at HIA stood at 5.9 million.

The movement of aircraft at HIA during the first half of 2022 also increased by 33.2 per cent compared to the same period of 2021. The airport welcomed 100,594 aircraft in the first half of 2022 while it had welcomed 75,533 aircraft in the first half of 2021.

Air freight and mail showed a decline of 9.4 per cent in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021.

Recently the Civil Aviation Authority had also released figures of June 2022 which also showed an increase in aircraft and passengers’ movement at Hamad International Airport.

HIA had recorded a 39.3 per cent increase in aircraft movement and a 149.3 per cent rise in passengers in June 2022. The QCAA tweeted, “The movement of aircraft at HIA in June increased by 39.3 per cent compared to the same month last year. The number of passengers also increased by 149.3 per cent compared to June 2021.”

The QCAA added that passenger traffic forecasts show the possibility of recording a significant growth ranging from over 90 per cent to over 105 per cent 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.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18 which will further boost the airport’s capacity.

Read: Saudia to operate hundreds of extra flights during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022