Satyendra Pathak
Doha
Qatar Airways will be operating "many, many extra flights" to meet the huge demand by fans from across the world during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the airline’s top official said on Thursday.
Addressing media persons at the inaugural ceremony of the Passenger Overflow Area at the Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said, “We will also have a large number of aircraft on standby as we expect huge demand from fans from the second week of the tournament. There will be a huge demand on us from countries that are winning and are coming closer to the target of being a champion. So we are very ready to be able to operate additional flights to those particular destinations where we have a huge spike in demand and ticket bookings.” Baker said that a third runway has also been activated at Doha International Airport to cater to a large number of FIFA spectators from the neighbouring countries.
Baker said, “We will also have large space available for chartered flights to cater to people with high net worth, many heads of states who will be attending the World Cup. Unfortunately, we cannot let many of the VIP aero planes land overnight in Doha due to the constraint of space as we need to make space for people who want to get off their planes. So there be flights that will land at Al Udaid and another airfield in Doha. We have also made arrangements with our friendly countries to be able to park their airplanes and then come to pick them up when they are ready to travel.” In a nutshell, he said, “We at Qatar Airways are ready to deliver what we have promised.” As part of its operational preparations to welcome millions of visitors for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, it was announced that Passenger Overflow Area at both Hamad International Airport (HIA) and Doha International Airport (DIA) will be operational from November 17 until December 31, 2022.
Set to offer fans extended memorable experiences and seamless connectivity throughout both airports, the passenger overflow area at DIA will be able to welcome up to 12,000 departing passengers per day. Qatar’s HIA has the capacity to accommodate 24,000 passengers per day.
The passenger overflow areas will only be accessible for passengers arriving at HIA and DIA more than four hours and up to eight hours prior to their scheduled departure flight time regardless of the airlines in which passengers are flying with.
Commenting on the announcement, HIA COO Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer said, “The commencement of the passenger overflow area at both HIA and DIA will offer our visitors a remarkable chance to experience the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at dedicated premises. Curated for all departing passengers, the overflow area is part of MATAR’s initial airport operations plan set to improve overall flow at both airports and accommodate thousands of visitors at any given time throughout the tournament.” On the expected number of visitors arriving at both airports during the tournament, Meer commented: “We are expecting to receive approximately 44,000 arriving passengers per day and upwards of around 900 aircraft movements daily.”