QATAR. Hamad International Airport (HIA) served 8.42 million passengers in the second quarter, a +18% increase over the first three months of 2021. It was the busiest quarter at the airport since 2020.
The passenger transfer percentage also grew by +16 per cent in Q2 over the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the number of outbound local passengers in Q2 was +47% higher than in Q1. The number of inbound passengers increased by +7 per cent by the same comparison.
The Q2 total was made up of 2.5 million passengers in April, 2.8 million in May and 3.1 million in June.
Reflecting on the traffic figures, Hamad International Airport Chief Operating Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said: “During the second quarter of 2022, HIA recorded more than 100,000 daily passengers and over three million 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.”
He added: “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.”
The strong Q2 performance was helped by Malaysia Airlines coming to the airport in late May to launch a daily direct service from Doha to Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
HIA also commenced a strategic partnership with American Airlines in June, which involved the launch of daily direct service to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.
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