According to a travel alert on the HIA website, thirteen airlines will resume their operations at Hamad International Airport (HIA) on Saturday, December 31, 2022. The airlines listed in the announcement include Etihad Airways, Flydubai, Air Arabia, Pegasus Airlines, SalamAir, Himalaya Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Jazeera Airways, Nepal Airlines, Tarco Aviation, Badr Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, and Air Cairo.
The above airlines will end their operations at Doha International Airport (DIA) on December 30, 2022. Etihad Airways has also announced a travel alert on its website regarding the change of airport. "All Etihad flights to and from Qatar moved to Hamad International Airport (DOH) effective from 31 December 2022," the statement said.
The 13 airlines commenced their operations at DIA on September 15, 2022, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to manage the inflow of fans that was expected during the tournament. Located 15 minutes away from the city centre and within 30 minutes from most of the Qatar 2022 stadiums, DIA reopened its doors to ensure a smooth travel experience for fans during the tournament.
The departures terminal at the airport had 83 check-in desks, 52 departure immigration counters and 22 departure boarding gates, designed to handle 2,000 departing passengers per hour. Meanwhile, the arrival terminal at DIA had been designed to handle 2,000 arriving passengers per hour with 52 arrival immigration counters.
Since the historic event’s kick-off, both airports witnessed a significant increase in air traffic as they recorded more than 7,000 flights in the first week of the World Cup, according to Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA).
QCAA on its Twitter handle revealed that a total of 26,425 aircraft movements were recorded until the end of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Both airports also had Passenger Over Flow areas which were like fan zones for the departing fans. These areas featured roaming parades, La’eeb statue, food and beverages outlets, retail stores, quiet zone, gaming zone, football pitches for children, luggage storage, a lost and found desk, flight information screen, and free Wi-Fi area. The tournament was a resounding success, with impressive attendance figures of over 3.4 million fans throughout the 64 matches.
