Hamad airport serves record 8.4mn passengers last quarter
ATP- Arab tourism portal- Hamad International Airport served a record 8.4mn passengers in the third quarter of this year, up 23% on the same period in 2014, HIA said Tuesday.
The world-scale airport 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, HIA figures showed.In 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.
The month of 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 take-offs and landings in the third quarter of this year with 55,186 movements.
This represents a 19% increase in aircraft take-offs and landings at the airport, compared to 46,405 movements during the same period last year. July recorded as many as 18,222 aircraft movements whereas August clocked a “new record” of 18,660 aircraft movements, followed by September with 18,304 aircraft movements.
Cargo tonnage totaled 242,513 tons in the third quarter with 79,408 tons of cargo handled in July, 80,766 tons in August and 82,338 tons of cargo handled in September of this year.On the airport’s record-breaking figures, Badr Mohammed al-Meer, Hamad International Airport chief operating officer said, “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. We have also had several new airlines commence operations at HIA.
This increase is also a testament to the continued rapid growth of Qatar Airways, Qatar’s national carrier.”Hamad International Airport 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 30mn passengers a year, over 40,000 square meters of combined retail, food and beverage facilities, and a uniquely shaped public mosque.
The airport’s tranquil waterside setting provides a perfect backdrop for its stylish architectural elements, underpinned by advanced airport systems.
