Hamad International Airport (HIA) has achieved yet another milestone. Qatar’s aviation hub has been ranked as the Fourth Best Airport in the World at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2019. HIA has also once again been ranked as a five-star Airport and was honoured with the title of ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the fifth year in a row and ‘Best Staff Service in the Middle East’ for the fourth year in a row.
HIA has been setting the standard for the modern day airport experience ever since its launch in May 2014. The awards recognize HIA’s innovative facilities, five-star customer service and state-of-the-art terminal which accommodates more than 30 million passengers annually.
The 2019 World Airport Awards by Skytrax are based on nominations from millions of passengers across more than 500 participating airports worldwide, making them one of largest passenger interaction survey awards in the world.
The Skytrax survey evaluates customer satisfaction across 39 key performance indicators for airport service and product — from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration, through to departure at the gate.
Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport, said: “We are delighted with our progress and ranking at this year’s Skytrax Awards as we successfully moved up in our ranking to ‘Fourth Best Airport in the World’ while maintaining our five-star status.
“We are committed to raising the bar when it comes to the airport experience and will continue to invest in our facilities, services and technologies that distinguish us as the airport of choice for millions of passengers around the world.”
Earlier this year, HIA was adjudged the second best airport in the world for On-Time Performance (OTP) according to OAG’s Punctuality League report. As per OAG, the leading global provider of digital flight information, HIA ranked second in the major airports category (from 20 to 30 million departing seats per annum) with 85.41 percent of its flights operating on time.
The Punctuality League is based on 58 million flight records using full-year data from 2017 to create a ranking of the best on-time performance (OTP) for the world’s largest airlines and airports.
Qatar’s award-winning airport remains focused on redefining the airport experience, from its implementation of cutting-edge technology, strategic expansion plan, 5-star customer service and operational excellence, that makes HIA the airport of choice for millions of passengers around the world.
The second phase of HIA’s expansion plan, launched early this year, will accommodate a capacity of 53 million passengers annually by 2022 as well as an increase in cargo capacity to 3 million tonnes per year. The expansion is a key part of Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 World Cup where the country will witness a large number of visitors to the global sporting event.
The young and ambitious airport is set to celebrate its 5-year anniversary next month. HIA’s overall achievements are unmatched by any other airport in the region. HIA continues to be one of the fastest-growing hubs in the world.
