Qatar’s new airport has been voted the sixth best in the world, according to a recent survey by Conde Nast Traveller readers.
This is the first time Hamad International Airport, which opened last year, has made the UK lifestyle travel magazine’s shortlist.
Readers based the rankings on factors such as customer satisfaction, airport access, airport retail, security and safety.
For the fifth time in 10 years, Singapore’s Changi Airport came in first, followed by Heathrow Terminal 5 in London, Hong Kong International Airport and Mumbai Airport.
HIA came just behind Dubai International, which ranked fifth and was hailed for its shopping opportunities.
Qatar’s new airport also beat out Sydney Airport (8th), Incheon International Airport in Seoul (9th) and Schipol in Amsterdam, which came in 10th.
In a statement, HIA said:
“Within less than a year of commencing operations, HIA has already won several prestigious awards including three Skytrax 2015 awards at the Skytrax Airport Award Ceremony in recognition of its outstanding performance and services including the Best Airport in the Middle East award. HIA also won the ‘Strategic Project of the Year’ award at the 2015 Global Projects of the Year awards ceremony organised by CG/LA Infrastructure.”
Upgrade
HIA soft-launched at the end of April 2014 after years of project delays.
The $15.5 billion airport, which has 80 retail outlets and 30 cafes and restaurants, has been deemed by many travelers to be a significant upgrade from the overcrowded Doha International Airport, which closed when HIA fully opened in May 2014.
Plans are now underway to expand HIA to accommodate some 50 million travelers a year, as Doha becomes an increasingly popular transit hub.
According to Akbar Al Baker, CEO of airport operator Qatar Airways, the expansion will be completed within the next three years.
Thoughts?
Not many airports feature a real indoor cloud!
“According to Akbar Al Baker, CEO of airport operator Qatar Airways, the expansion will be completed within the next three years.”
Sweepstake anybody?
this airport has been such a massive improvement over the old one. i only wish they’re fix the egate machines so that they can actually read the cards
I have no issues, and I travel very often.
i travel often as well and the sensors are getting progressively worse. its a common issue for more than few people i know. its applicable to those who their ID cards instead of passports
My experience is
– the card reader works about 80% of the time for ID cards and passports
– then the fingerprint scanner works about 30% of the time
– if the finger print scanner fails the iris scanner never works
So the routine is try three or four times, give the attendant a sorrowful look with palms extended upwards and then go through the GCC lane thus avoiding the queues. QR100 a year well spent!
Strangely a fingerprint scanner that work purchased for $500 works 99% of the time.
most of the times they don’t work in fact! I also wished they have coffees or shops near the gates
My card has never actually worked, but my passport works every time at the e gates.
I’m the frustrated guy who is standing at the e-gate swapping the passport for the ID and then trying the passport again, and then the ID again. On one occasion an uppity know it all strode purposefully to the e-gate next to me and looked at me swapping my ID and passport on the reader, before he said in a smug/imperious tone ‘no, no, you do it like this’, as if I was some kind of moron. Needless to say the readers didn’t work for him either, while I did my best to contain my smirk.
The e-gate system in Oman worked perfectly, every time – and all resident’s RPs were accepted, no further action required.
In Qatar, I can’t even get an e-gate, my employer won’t approve it.
It never works , they wont fix it , it will continue as it is , people will moan , they’ll be told t leave if they don;t like it here but can;t because the egate is knackered . The End .
Congrats Qatar and very happy Mumbai is made to the fourth!!!!!
I like the new airport and it works smoothly most of the time. It is a much more pleasant experience than the old one and while travelling on business or first it is a pleasure to transverse.
Completely disagree with the list. Either the other airports around the world are pathetic or else HIA would not have made it on this list. This airport lacks luxury, its good but not one of the best yet. Incheon is far better in fact.
OH PLEASE!! REALLY???? Stop with the bull crap. For such a top notch airport, why can’t you board with your mobile pass and you always have to go to a desk and print your boarding pass? You go to the desk to print your boarding pass and they tell you we are out of printing paper and then you miss your flight!!!! Good job HIA, you are among the best in the word. Oh by the way, your e-gates are perfect too, I’ll keep swiping 100 times before it actually works or someone comes over to help!!!! Who bribed the surveyors this time???
What? You gotta be kidding!
In HIA, average time it takes to cross the immigration is more than 1 hour ! They have more than 30 counters, yet they decide to have only 2 Queues with a guy directing passengers to counters just like a farmer who shows his cattle which way to go.
Staff at the immigration counter is utterly slow and lazy to work but to check their mobiles/makeups/or to chat with tier colleagues. Above all, they are mostly rude and unwelcoming.
It’s a fairly decent airport but lacks many of the basics . Not enough F&B outlets and the shopping is too high end and dull , Same old same old . Go to Changi / HK / BKK / DXB and see what they offer the transit passenger . Decent affordable shopping and competitive F&B . People on a $500 transit flight don’t want a Hermes bag . The airport mirrors much of Qatar as it promises a lot but really delivers a below average product for high money .
Congrats Qatar. With a clear vision and ample resources, you can achieve your goals. Way to GO!!!
I came here for the complaints. I was not disappointed.
It’s a good airport no doubt and a massive improvement compared to the previous but far from expectations created and definitely not the 6th or even the 16th in the world.