Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport is the principal international airport of Qatar and the global hub of Qatar Airways. It is located on the coast east of central Doha and uses the IATA code DOH and ICAO location indicator OTHH. The airport handled 54.3 million passengers, 282,975 aircraft movements and 2.59 million tonnes of cargo in 2025.[1][2]
Location and role
The aerodrome reference point is 5.5 nautical miles east of Doha city centre, at an elevation of 13 feet above mean sea level. Much of the 29-square-kilometre airport site was created through land reclamation from the Gulf. The location allowed Qatar to replace the more constrained Doha International Airport with an airfield and terminal designed around long-haul connecting traffic.[3][4]
Hamad International is Qatar Airways' home base and primary connecting hub. Its terminal is arranged so that international passengers can transfer between flights without entering Qatar, while immigration, baggage reclaim and ground transport serve passengers whose journey begins or ends in Doha. In 2025, 13.5 million passengers were origin-and-destination travellers using Doha rather than transferring between flights.[2]
The airport is operated by the Qatar Company for Airports Operation and Management, commonly branded MATAR. MATAR was established as an independent company owned by Qatar Airways Group, and operates the airport under an agreement with the Government of Qatar.[5][3]
History
Construction of the airport, initially known as the New Doha International Airport project, began in 2005. It was planned to provide substantially greater passenger, cargo and runway capacity than Doha International Airport and to support the expansion of Qatar Airways. The new site was built immediately east of the older airport, with about 60 per cent of its area on reclaimed land.[6][4]
Hamad International began operations with a soft opening on 30 April 2014. Ten airlines transferred initially, following a ceremonial Qatar Airways flight from Doha International Airport. Qatar Airways and the remaining carriers moved on 27 May, completing the principal transfer of scheduled airline operations to the new airport.[4][7]
The initial passenger complex contained concourses A, B and C and was designed for 30 million passengers a year. Traffic growth and the approaching 2022 FIFA World Cup led to a multi-stage enlargement programme. In November 2022, the airport opened the central ORCHARD, a 6,000-square-metre indoor garden beneath a large roof, together with additional retail, passenger-processing and gate facilities.[8]
Concourses D and E opened in March 2025, completing the expansion programme begun in 2018. The work added 17 contact gates, taking the airport-wide total to 62, and increased stated annual passenger capacity to more than 65 million. The integrated terminal grew to approximately 845,000 square metres.[8][9]
Terminal
Hamad International has one integrated passenger-terminal complex divided into concourses A to E. Departing passengers enter through a common check-in and security area, while transfer passengers remain within the airside system. The concourses contain a mixture of contact stands with passenger boarding bridges and bus gates serving remote stands. The airport reports 62 contact gates and 128 remote stands following the 2025 expansion.[10]
Concourses A and B extend from the southern side of the central terminal, while Concourse C forms the principal northward spine. The ORCHARD is at the northern end of Concourse C, and concourses D and E extend from that area. An automated passenger train runs along part of the central airside axis, supplementing moving walkways for journeys between the main processing area and more distant gates.[10][11]
The airport incorporates two airside transit hotels, passenger lounges, prayer rooms, medical facilities and areas for families and passengers requiring assistance. These services form part of the secure transfer area and do not require a passenger to pass through immigration when eligible to remain in transit.[10]
Runways and airfield
The airport has two parallel north-south runways. The Qatar Aeronautical Information Publication effective 6 August 2026 gives the following physical characteristics:[3]
| Runway | Physical dimensions | Surface |
| 16L/34R | 4,850 m x 60 m | Asphalt |
| 16R/34L | 4,250 m x 60 m | Asphalt |
Runway 16L/34R is the longer eastern runway and 16R/34L is the western runway, nearest the passenger terminal. Parallel taxiways, holding areas and aircraft stands support simultaneous handling of passenger, cargo and maintenance traffic. The airport and its runways operate 24 hours, subject to the procedures, restrictions and temporary notices published by Qatar's aeronautical-information service.[3]
Physical runway length is not the same as the declared take-off or landing distance available for every operation. Displaced thresholds, intersection departures, works and operational instructions can change the usable distance, so current flight operations must use the AIP and NOTAM information rather than an encyclopaedic summary.[3]
Airlines and operations
Qatar Airways is the dominant airline and uses the airport to connect a broad network across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Australasia. Other international airlines provide local and connecting services. The airport reported 57 airline partners during 2025; this total is a dated network measure rather than a permanent airline list.[2]
Connecting traffic shapes the airport's operating pattern. Groups of Qatar Airways arrivals feed later departure waves, concentrating demand at security, transfer desks, baggage systems and gates. Origin-and-destination traffic has also grown with Doha's business, tourism and event markets. The 13.5 million local passengers counted in 2025 represented a 5.4 per cent increase from the previous year.[2]
Cargo
Hamad International is the home hub of Qatar Airways Cargo and a major transfer point for freight moving between the carrier's passenger and freighter networks. The original midfield cargo terminal began operating on 1 December 2013, before the passenger airport opened. Its two-level, 55,000-square-metre handling building was designed for 1.4 million tonnes a year and included dedicated wide-body freighter stands, airside loading docks and landside truck docks.[12]
Freight operations include general cargo, express consignments, mail, live animals, pharmaceuticals and perishable goods. Temperature-controlled vehicles and storage areas support transfers between aircraft and the warehouse for products requiring an unbroken cool chain. In 2025 the airport handled 2.59 million tonnes of cargo, slightly below the preceding year.[12][1]
Ground transport
The Hamad International Airport station on the Doha Metro serves the terminal. It is on the Red Line, which connects the airport branch with central Doha and interchange stations for the wider metro network. The airport describes the service as operating seven days a week; operating hours and last-train times vary and should be checked through Qatar Rail's live information.[13][14]
Public buses, metered taxis, limousines, ride-hailing services, hire cars and private vehicles also serve the landside arrivals and departures areas. Road access connects the terminal with Doha's urban road network. Transport ranks and meeting points can change during works, so passengers should use current airport directions rather than relying on a fixed diagram.[15]
Traffic statistics
| Year | Passengers | Aircraft movements | Cargo |
| 2024 | 52.7 million | 279,000 | 2.6 million tonnes |
| 2025 | 54.3 million | 282,975 | 2.59 million tonnes |
Passenger traffic increased by about three per cent in 2025 and aircraft movements by about one per cent. August became the first month in which the airport handled more than five million passengers. Cargo throughput declined slightly even though passenger and movement totals rose.[16][1][2]
Related pages
Sources
Qatar AIP: OTHH Hamad International - Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, effective 6 August 2026
Hamad International Airport marks a year of operational strength and global connectivity in 2025 - Qatar News Agency, 21 January 2026
Hamad International Airport 2025 traffic results - Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East, 21 January 2026
Hamad International Airport reports record-breaking year in 2024 - Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East, 6 January 2025
Hamad International Airport opens Concourses D and E - Qatar Airways, 20 March 2025
Hamad International Airport completes expansion project - Government Communications Office, State of Qatar, 20 March 2025
Hamad International Airport: About us - Hamad International Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Qatar Airways marks the opening of Hamad International Airport - Qatar Airways, 30 April 2014
Qatar Airways operations transfer to Hamad International Airport - Qatar Airways, 27 May 2014
New company to manage and operate HIA - Ministry of Transport, State of Qatar, 5 February 2017
Hamad International Airport cargo facilities - Hamad International Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Metro - Hamad International Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Doha Metro pocket map - Qatar Rail, accessed 29 August 2026
Image source and licence: Hamad Airport terminal, May 2014 - u07ch, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
