Qatar’s global gateway Hamad International Airport has welcomed 25.9 million passengers in the first half of 2024, a 25% increase on the same period in 2023. The airport has also grown its aircraft movements by 19%, bags handled by 19% and cargo operations by 12% over the same period.
There was a 22.1% increase in point-to-point passengers – those flying directly into and out of Doha – compared to the same period last year, reflecting growth in the number of airline partners operating from the airport and the flourishing tourism sector in Qatar.
The demand for flights to and from the Middle East experienced a 45.3% growth, driven by the recovery of airline operations between GCC countries, particularly the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Meanwhile, traffic to and from Europe grew by 32.8%, supported by the launch of new destinations and increased capacity to existing destinations, while Asia-Pacific flights grew by 20.9%, bolstered by the addition of four new airlines from the region.
The airport projects a further increase in passenger traffic in the second half of 2024, surpassing its 50 million passengers per annum record achieved earlier this year.
The airport was also named World’s Best Airport in the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2024, held at Passenger Terminal Expo in Frankfurt, Germany, on April 17, 2024. Hamad also won awards for the World’s Best Airport Shopping and the Best Airport in the Middle East.