In April, the airport secured the “World’s Best Airport” title by the prestigious 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards.
Hamad International Airport (HIA) has recorded 25.9 million passengers in the first half of this year, marking a 25 percent increase in comparison to the same period in 2023.
HIA announced the promising figures in a statement on Monday, where it said its aircraft movement has also grown by 19 percent whereas cargo operations increased by 12 percent when compared to the first half of 2023.
Named as the world’s best airport by Skytrax, HIA recorded a 22.1 percent increase in point-to-point passengers when compared to the same period last year.
“Point-to-point refers to the passengers flying directly into and out of Doha, reflecting significant growth in the number of airline partners operating from the airport, and the flourishing tourism sector in Qatar,” HIA explained.
The airport said it projects “a further increase” in terms of passenger traffic during the second half of this year.
“Having reached the 50 million passenger per annum mark earlier this year, HIA forecasts it will surpass this milestone by the year end, underscoring Qatar’s airport’s robust position as a leading global aviation hub,” it noted.
Expansion of travel network
Detailing the figures, HIA said London marked the top destination, especially with Qatar Airways’ services at the London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport. The other popular destinations included Bangkok, Dubai, Jeddah and Colombo.
The increase in figures also came as HIA expanded its network this year by adding new airline partners, including Japan Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, China Southern Airlines and Mumbai’s Akasa Air.
Late last year also saw the addition of Spain’s Iberia, Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines and India’s Vistara.
“This expansion underscores the airport’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and providing more travel options for passengers and has significantly boosted tourism, fostered trade relationships and fortified business ties between Qatar and the global community,” HIA explained.
Other factors attributed to the increase included the demand from and to Middle East travel, which witnessed a 45.3 percent spike.
Beyond the Gulf region, traffic to and from Europe increased by 32.8 percent following the launch of new destinations, especially by adding Spain’s Iberia last December to Qatar’s network.
HIA recorded a 20.9 percent growth in the Asia-Pacific region, with Qatar Airways’ expansion of its network to key markets including Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
In April, the Qatari airport secured the “World’s Best Airport” title by the prestigious 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards. It also received the “Best Airport in the Middle East” title for the 10th consecutive year.
Skytrax named HIA as the “World’s Best Airport Shopping” for the second consecutive year.
The inauguration of the state-of-the-art HIA in 2014 represented a key milestone for Qatar, which has since witnessed the expansion of its travel network.
