DOHA: Hamad International Airport (HIA) has reportedly served a total of 9.16 million passengers in the first quarter of 2019. HIA has also handled 56,573 aircraft movements and 505,581 tonnes of cargo in total from January to March 2019.

HIA served 3.2 million passengers in January, 2.8 million in February and 3.15 million in March, which includes passengers arriving, departing and transferring through Qatar’s airport, signifying a 5.07 percent increase from the previous year.

The airport also handled 19,458 aircraft movements in January, 17,563 movements in February and 19,552 movements in March, which includes total number of aircraft take-offs and landings at the airport marking an 8.27 percent increase from the first quarter of 2018.

HIA further handled 505,581 tonnes of cargo in the first quarter of 2019, with 160,218 tonnes in January, 154,168 tonnes in February and 191,194 tonnes in March.

Commenting on the closure of the first quarter, Eng. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport, said: “The strong start to 2019 illustrates HIA’s accelerated and sustained growth. As we continue to witness this steady growth, we are committed more than ever to empower our passengers and continue to provide them with a seamless and hassle-free journey at the airport. HIA operations will see an increased investment in cutting edge technology to help shape the future of the passenger experience in 2019”.

The first quarter of 2019 has seen a successful start for Qatar’s 5-star airport, having received multiple awards and accolades at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2019 held in March 2019. The airport ranked the fourth ‘Best Airport in the World’, moving up one place from last year. HIA was also awarded 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 also embarked on its second phase of expansion plans in early 2019, which will aim to accommodate a capacity of 53 million passengers annually at the airport by 2022. The expansion plans will further see an increase in cargo capacity to 3 million tonnes per year.