Hamad International Airport Achieves Record Passenger Numbers in Q1 of 2016

Doha, May 16 (QNA) - Hamad International Airport (HIA) has served a record 8.8 million passengers during the first quarter of 2016, making it the busiest quarter for the airport since its opening in May 2014. This represents a 20 per cent increase from the number of passengers that travelled through the airport during the first quarter of 2015. In detail, HIA had 8,867,971 passengers pass through its gates during the first quarter of 2016, with a record 3,089,826 passengers departing, arriving and transiting in January which is an unsurpassed figure for a single month for the airport, HIA said in a press statement on Monday. The months of February and March had 2,722,867 and 3,055,278 passenger movements respectively. The same period in 2015 saw a total of 7,360,145 passengers travelling through HIA, including 2,589,400 passengers in January; 2,285,221 in February; and 2,485,524 in March. HIA also had a significant increase in aircraft movements in the first quarter of 2016 with a total of 58,288 movements, which represents a 8.6 per cent increase in aircraft take-offs and landings at the airport, compared to 56,282 movements during the same period last year. Commenting on the airports record-breaking figures, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport Eng. Badr Mohammed Al Meer said that with the activation of concourses D and E at HIA as well as the technological advancements being implemented in the terminal, the airport is in a position to handle more passengers, aircraft and cargo movements than ever before, expecting a steady growth in numbers for the remaining year as well. The month of January and February saw 19,455 and 18,511 aircraft movements respectively, followed by the month of March with unprecedented 20,322 aircraft movements, which is the highest the airport has had. Cargo tonnage totaled 389,950 tones in the first quarter of 2016 with 125,907 tones of cargo handled in January, 122,227 tones in February and 141,815 tones in March. The airport ended the previous year on a strong note having handled 30.9 million passengers from January to December 2015. It handled a total of 1.4 million tones of cargo as well 212,252 aircraft movements. Hamad International Airport-Qatar is an award-winning airport with services and facilities which include Qatar Duty Free, a premium shopping emporium with more than 40,000 square meters of combined retail and dining with more than 70 boutiques and 30 cafes and restaurants. HIA also boasts an airside hotel, two airside squash courts, a gym, a 25-metre swimming pool and spa, all within easy reach of the departure gates. The airport also features two runways with dual capacity, one of the largest free span maintenance hangars in the world, a cutting-edge two-storey cargo facility and one of the worlds largest self-contained catering facilities. (QNA)