Hamad International Airport has added another feather to its cap. Rated as one of the top airports in the world, HIA marked seven successful years as an award-winning leading global travel hub.
HIA has constantly proven to be the airport-of-choice for global travellers and has transformed the airport experience to ensure operational excellence while prioritising passenger and staff health, well-being, and security.
HIA met all the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and kept its doors open during the severity of the pandemic, connecting passengers to their homes. The airport swiftly implemented health and safety processes in line with WHO guidelines, and innovative technologies to boost its safe operations. Smart solutions such as Smart Screening Helmets enabled contactless temperature measurement, while HIA’s fully autonomous disinfectant robots have optimised airport operations with their effectiveness in eliminating the majority of infectious microorganisms.
As part of its homegrown technologies, HIA’s internal teams developed an automated facial detection system using computer vision and artificial intelligence to ensure the wearing of masks for all its staff. The airport has also deployed touchless capabilities at key touchpoints such as self-check-in, self-bag-drop and terminal elevators.
Owing to the gradual lifting of travel restrictions globally and the reopening of borders around the world, air travel numbers are now slowly increasing. The most significant increase at HIA is in passenger traffic, which observed a 381% increase from April 2020 to April 2021. Till date, HIA has processed more than 200 million passengers and 13 million tonnes of cargo.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H E Akbar Al Baker said: “Since commencing its operations seven years ago, Hamad International Airport has been a vital part of the Qatar Airways Group’s growth and success. HIA has continuously set the standard both in our region and globally for providing a seamless and unique travel experience, winning multiple awards including Best Airport in the Middle East for the past six years.”
Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA, said: “The team at HIA has been working extremely hard over the past seven years to deliver a world-class airport experience for all, which has allowed us to rise in global airport ranks each year.”
HIA has also earned significant accolades over the years, becoming the first airport in the Middle East and Asia in 2020 to be awarded a 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating by Skytrax, proving HIA’s efforts in its rapid adoption of new health and safety measures.
