Qatar’s Hamad International Airport reports 44.5% spike in passenger traffic in Q1 2023

Hamad International Airport reported a further increase over last year’s numbers in passengers flying to and from the airport in Q1 2023.

The airport record a 44.5 per cent increase in passenger traffic and 18.65 per cent rise in aircraft movements from the same period last year.

The airport witnessed a total of 10,315,695 passengers during the first quarter of 2023 – moving 3,558,918 passengers in January, 3,240,114 passengers in February and 3,516,663 passengers in March.

Hamad International Airport: Other milestones

Aircraft movements also increased compared to last year, with a total of 56,417 arriving and departing from the airport – 19,377 in January, 17,479 in February and 19,561 in March.

In Q1 2023, Hamad International Airport handled over 540,000 tonnes of cargo and moved over eight million bags through its facility, including over five million transfer baggage.

Hamad International Airport’s chief operating officer, Engineer Badr Mohammad Al Meer, said: “This is a remarkable start to 2023 for the airport and is testament to our commitment to enhancing our passenger experience whether they are travelling to, from or through the airport. With our robust operations and investment in our growth plans, we will continue to magnify our airport infrastructure and product offering to reinforce our competitive position in the aviation industry.”

Al Meer added: “These numbers demonstrate the resilience of our industry and the vital role that airports play in connecting people. We will always strive towards excellence and ensure that Hamad International Airport remains the top choice for passengers traveling to and from the Middle East and the world.”

Hamad International Airport busiest destinations during the first quarter of the year were London, Bangkok, Dhaka, Manila and Jeddah. The airport currently has more than 40 airline partners.

The airport witnessed an increase of over 164 per cent in passengers’ movement in the first half of 2022 compared to same period of last year.

According to the statistics released by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), the airport recorded 15.6 million passengers in the first half of this year, roughly three times more in the same period last year.

In the first half of 2021, passenger traffic stood at 5.9 million.

Read: Qatar’s Hamad International Airport records 164% rise in passenger footfall

The movement of aircraft at HIA during the first half of 2022 also increased by 33.2 per cent compared to the same period of 2021. The airport welcomed 100,594 aircraft in the first half of 2022 while it had welcomed 75,533 aircraft in the first half of 2021.

In other news, Dubai International (DXB) airport retained its position as the world’s busiest international airport for the ninth consecutive year, according to the Airports Council International (ACI) World.

The number of passengers who used the DXB airport in 2022 stood at 66,069,981, representing a 127 per cent year-on-year growth.

Dubai was followed by London’s LHR (58,243,060), Amsterdam’s AMS (52,467,346), Paris’ CDG (51,763,569) and Istanbul’s IST (48,521,725).

Read: Dubai’s DXB ranked busiest international airport worldwide for 2022