Tag Archives: Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport (DOH) continues its impressive growth in passenger traffic as it records promising numbers in the first half of 2023. The award-winning airport has witnessed an influx of travelers flying to and from Doha with a recorded 33.5% increase in passenger traffic and 18.1% increase in aircraft movements from the same period last year. The airport saw a total of 20,775,087 passengers during the first half of 2023 – moving 10,315,695 passengers in the first quarter of the year and a further 10,459,392 in the second quarter. Aircraft movements during the first half of 2023 also increased compared to last year, with a total of 116,296 arriving and departing from the airport – 56,417 in the first quarter of 2023 and 59,879 in the second quarter. During the first half of 2023, Hamad International Airport handled 1,121,382 tonnes of cargo and moved 17,596,776 bags, including 11,376,483 transfer bags through its facility. The second quarter of 2023 saw the airport manage a 24% increase in passenger traffic from the same period last year, with 3,281,773 passengers in April, 3,440,047 in May and 3,737,572 in June. Aircraft movements also saw a steady increase, with 18,762 in April, 20,226 in May and 20,891 in June. In terms of total destinations during the second quarter of this year, the airport saw a total of 194 scheduled passenger and cargo destinations. Hamad International Airport’s commitment to investing in the latest technologies has allowed it to implement the advanced screening technology to reduce processing time and enhance security within the facility. The adoption of the latest screening equipment allows transferring passengers to keep their electronic devices, along with liquid containers in their hand luggage. …

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has officially launched an innovative ‘Digital Twin’ initiative as part of its smart airport program. This Digital Twin provides a real-time view of the airport through an intuitive 3D interface. Its powerful analytical engine integrates information from multiple airport systems to provide intelligent recommendations to help optimize operations. The development combined 3D modelling techniques, data-analytics, and Artificial Intelligence to deliver improved, faster and data-driven decision making. The Digital Twin manages aircraft stand conflicts, enables effective responses to alerts and monitors the health of critical airport assets. Additionally, it effectively utilizes the right data at the right time to allow optimization of resources to minimize asset downtime. The airport industry is increasingly recognizing the potential of Digital Twin technology to support critical airport operations. HIA’s Digital Twin initiative has been recognized as the ‘Smart Solution of the Year’, earning it an award at the Qatar IT Business Awards. Senior Vice President Technology & Innovation at Hamad International Airport, Mr Suhail Kadri, stated: “Hamad International Airport, in conjunction with industry partner SITA, is actively shaping the future of the airport industry by being one of the few airports in the world to develop a functioning digital twin and experiment with challenging use cases, ushering in a new era of efficiency.” “This one-of-a-kind technology will continue to mature and radically change how operational teams across the airport consume information and make decisions. We are delighted to be first movers in this area and accelerate the adoption of this breakthrough technology, which will ultimately benefit passengers, our airline partners and all airport stakeholders,” Mr Kadri added. Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East and Africa, said: “Many congratulations to HIA for …

Hamad International Airport (HIA) is all set to become a smart airport. Every step of the on-boarding process at HIA, from check-in to boarding, will be self-service-enabled to significantly improve efficiency and reduce wastage of time, facilitating fast and seamless experience for the travellers. It will soon be introducing its next-generation self-service check-in and bag drop services, which will enable passengers to check in themselves, print their boarding passes and baggage tags, tag their bags and simply drop them off at the custom-designed bag-drop system. COO of Hamad International Airport, Badr Al–Meer, stated, “We want to be different and ensure that our passengers can self-check-in, drop the baggage and go right up to the aircraft without any human interaction. This would be phase 1 in reaching the Smart Airport standard. Phase 2 of our expansion plans includes a new terminal, the same size as that of the current airport.”

Huawei and Hamad International Airport (HIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising a strategic partnership to enable the airport’s digital transformation. The objective is to accelerate digital transformation at Hamad International Airport and to share the solutions with the community for wider benefit of the air transport industry. The MoU between HIA and Huawei provides a broad framework for collaboration between for co-creation of innovative concepts, prototypes and solutions using cutting-edge technologies, particularly in the areas of IoT and autonomous machines, to address real business challenges and opportunities. Through this cooperation, HIA aims to improve the passenger experience, enhance security and communication, and increase operational efficiency. Commenting on the cooperation with Huawei, Eng. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA said: “Innovative technology will continue to drive digital transformation at Hamad International Airport. Through this strategic alliance with Huawei, which also provides access to its eco-system of niche partners, we aim to accelerate our journey and to demonstrate our commitment to the industry by sharing viable concepts and solutions that may be developed through this partnership”. Xilin Yuan, President of the Transportation Sector of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group, commented: “It is a great pleasure for Huawei to collaborate with Hamad International Airport to enable a Smart Airport that can meet the future demands of passenger flows as well as the needs of digital-savvy customers. By placing digital transformation at the heart of its commercial strategy, HIA will deliver a user-centric connected experience to continue delighting its customers.”

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has joined the top tier of global airports becoming the sixth airport in the world to receive the ‘5-Star Airport’ designation by Skytrax, the London-based aviation institute and the gold standard for conveying the passenger’s voice in airport and airline rankings. This makes HIA the first ever airport in the Middle East to earn this acclaimed title. The prestigious 5-Star Airport rating is awarded to airports achieving the highest, overall Quality Performance. The 5-Star Airport rating recognises those airports providing excellent facilities for customers combined with high quality airport staff service. Airport Quality ranking covers front-line areas for departures, arrival and transfer, including airport facilities, customer service, security, immigration, shop outlets and food and beverage facilities. The highest rating – five stars – has previously only been awarded to five other airports worldwide: Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Haneda and Munich.

Qatar Airways has announced a code-share partnership with Air Botswana, offering Qatar Airways travellers access to three key destinations in Botswana, Africa. The partnership with Air Botswana, the national airline of Botswana, will provide Qatar Airways passengers with connections to the Botswana cities of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun via Qatar Airways’ South Africa gateway Johannesburg. Qatar Airways operates double-daily flights between Johannesburg and its state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport in Doha, with onward flights to more than 150 destinations worldwide. The new code-share agreement allows business and leisure travellers fast and convenient access to the home of Botswana’s rich mineral industry, abundant game reserves, and luxury safari lodges. Botswana’s luxurious tourism experiences are complemented by Qatar Airways’ ultra-modern fleet of aircraft featuring the world’s best Business Class on services to South Africa.

Qatar Airways has added another eight flights a week to Riyadh and one more daily flight to Dammam, increasing its connectivity to the two major Saudi cities, starting October 30, 2016. Through its hub in Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways will operate four flights a day to King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, and five daily flights to King Fahad International Airport in Dammam. The additional flights take Qatar Airways’ total connectivity within the Kingdom to 158 flights a week, serving eight destinations: Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Dammam, Hofuf, Gassim, Taif, and Abha. Qatar Airways, the official sponsor of Al-Ahli Saudi FC and F.C. Barcelona recently announced hosting a friendly football match bringing together both teams to play at Shiekh Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (Al-Gharrafa Stadium) on December 13, 2016. Travellers from Saudi Arabia can take advantage of the increased frequencies to visit the new destinations that Qatar Airways has announced this year, which include exciting cities all around the globe, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta in the USA, Adelaide in Australia, Auckland in New Zealand, and numerous others in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Qatar Airways has opened a new route from Doha to Helsinki, the Finnish capital. His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways, hosted a press conference at Hotel Kämp in the centre of Helsinki following the arrival of the airline’s first flight to the Finnish capital. Qatar Airways is the first Middle Eastern carrier to serve all four Nordic capitals. The new route will also give the people of Finland the opportunity to connect to more than 150 destinations on the airline’s global network via its hub, Hamad International Airport, in Doha. Qatar Airways, already one of the fastest growing airlines in the history of aviation, flies daily to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo and now Helsinki. This will give Finnish passengers the opportunity to travel seamlessly to destinations such as Krabi and the Seychelles, which will launch in December, and Auckland, which will launch on February 5, 2017, with many more new destinations to come.

Starting 1st August 2016, Qatar Airways will increase the number of flights from Doha to Muscat to enable more passenger traffic between the two destinations. Now with 35 flights a week from Hamad International Airport travellers can easily explore the popular Omani capital city. Passengers travelling from Muscat will now also have increased access to the rest of the world, with the ability to connect through Hamad International Airport and enjoy award-winning facilities, such as Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge while connecting to more than 150 destinations. Qatar Airways’ new flight to Muscat will depart from Doha at 2.20 am, arriving in Muscat at 5am, with the return flight departing from Muscat at 6.45am and landing in Doha at 7:25am. The airline operates services to Muscat with its A320 aircraft, offering both its award-winning Business and Economy Class options to passengers. Qatar Airways was announced as the World’s Best Business Class in the 2016 World Airline Awards this week, as voted for by global travellers. The Skytrax awards recognised the airline for its commitment to offering passengers an unrivalled travelling experience announcing Qatar Airways as also offering the Best Business Class Airline Lounge and the Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East.