Qatar inaugurated a vast extension of its main international airport on Thursday, while the boss of the national company reacted to “rumors” that it could not cope with the flow of visitors for the FIFA World Cup. Multibillion-dollar works have increased the capacity of Hamad International Airport from 40 million to 58 million passengers a year, Qatar Airways boss Akbar Al-Baker said in a briefing. press conference.
Management criticized
The project was inaugurated ten days before the start of the 2022 World Cup, which is expected to attract more than a million visitors to the smallest country to ever host this event. To ease the pressure, Qatar has reopened the old Doha International Airport.
Qatar Airways has also cut 18 destinations from its schedule, to increase the number of flights serving key World Cup markets, and allow other airlines to operate charter flights. Akbar Al-Baker dismissed criticism of the country’s ability to handle the situation. “There have always been rumours,” he said, saying the “systems and innovations” introduced for the World Cup had been tested.
Capacity increased to 70 million passengers per year
“We have ensured that additional flights and charter flights respect the maximum capacity per hour of each of the two airports. We are therefore very well positioned to deal with this very large influx of passengers.” The boss of Qatar airways considered that this project was a snub to those who doubted Qatar’s ability to organize the World Cup.
“We are always rubbing the knife in the wound of our competitors and, of course, of our opponents,” said Akbar Al-Baker, accusing the latter of being behind a “negative media campaign” against Qatar . The gas-rich state has been widely criticized over its human rights record since being awarded the World Cup in 2012.
The interior of the terminal is now decorated with a tropical garden comprising more than 300 different trees and 25,000 plants from all over the world. A new phase of expansion is set to begin in January, aiming to boost the airport’s capacity to more than 70 million passengers a year.