Hamad International Airport (HIA) has served a record 8.4 million passengers during the third quarter of 2015, a 23 percent increase from the number of passengers who travelled through its terminal during the same period in 2014.
HIA saw 8,405,831 passengers pass through its gates during the third quarter of 2015, with 2,701,958 passengers departing, arriving and transiting in July. In the month of August, a record of 3,025,641 passengers travelled through HIA which is an unsurpassed figure for a single month, both at HIA as well as its previous hub, Doha International Airport. September saw 2,678,232 passenger movements.
The same period in 2014 saw 6,837,454 passengers travelling through HIA, including 2,160,843 passengers in July; 2,475,340 in August; and 2,201,271 in September.
HIA also saw a significant increase in aircraft movements in the third quarter of 2015 with 55,186 movements, which represents a 19 percent increase in aircraft take-offs and landings at the airport, compared to 46,405 movements during the same period last year. The month of July recorded 18,222 aircraft movements whereas the month of August recorded a new record of 18,660 aircraft movements, followed by the month of September with 18,304 aircraft movements.
Cargo tonnage totaled 242,513 tons in the third quarter of 2015 with 79,408 tons of cargo handled in the month of July, 80,766 tons in August and 82,338 tons of cargo handled in September of 2015.
“We partially owe this phenomenal increase in our operations to the increased frequency of several of our patron airlines’ weekly flights from Hamad International Airport, and we have also had several new airlines commence operations at HIA,” the airport’s Chief Operating Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer said. “This increase is also a testament to the continued rapid growth of Qatar Airways, Qatar’s national carrier,” he added.
Positioned at the edge of the Arabian Gulf, HIA’s waterside setting provides a perfect backdrop for its architectural elements, underpinned by advanced airport systems. It features two runways, among the longest in the world, a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower, a stunning passenger terminal with an initial design capacity of 30 million passengers per year, over 40,000 square meters of combined retail, food and beverage facilities, and a uniquely shaped public mosque.
Source: Qatar news agency
