Passengers at Hamad International Airport hit record 38.7 m in 2019

Hamad International Airport (HIA) served a record 38,786,422 passengers in 2019, up 12.44% compared to passenger numbers in 2018, and is the most number of passengers the airport has served since the start of operations in 2014.

Eight new passenger destinations were added to HIA’s global network in 2019: Davao, Philippines; Rabat, Morocco; Izmir, Turkey; Gaborone, Botswana; Langkawi, Malaysia; Mogadishu, Somalia as well as Malta and Lisbon, Portugal.

Three new cargo destinations were also added to HIA’s network: Istanbul, New York and Almaty.

Fifteen airlines operating at HIA increased their weekly flight frequencies including Kuwait Airways, Salam Air, Philippine Airlines and Oman Air.

HIA also welcomed two new airline partners, Air India and Tarco Aviation.

This developments led HIA to handling 232,917 aircraft movements in 2019, which is 5.57% more than the previous year.

Hamad International Airport Chief Operating Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer said, “2019 has been a spectacular year for HIA, having broken our record for the most number of passengers ever served since commencing our operations. Looking ahead, we’re focused on increasing our operational capacity through our major airport expansion project which is a vital part of the airports rapid growth and the country’s preparations to host the 2022 World Cup and beyond.”

HIA introduced a number of innovative solutions in 2019 to achieve operational excellence and enhance the overall passenger experience in the terminal.

The airport implemented advanced software solutions for passenger forecasting and queue measurement which provides real time passenger traffic forecasting as well as calculating waiting times and throughputs which are visualised on a live dashboard, allowing the airport to keep waiting times in check. The software has enabled the operational staff to be proactive and stay agile in the terminal’s dynamic environment.

Along with HIA’s self-check-in and self-bag-drop kiosks, which was introduced in the terminal to provide passengers with a faster and smoother check-in process, HIA recently introduced ten automated security gates at the pre-immigration area, so passengers can scan their own boarding cards and proceed to immigration.