As Qatar prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we examine how airlines and airports are getting ready for an unprecedented spike in passenger demand.
The largest single-sports event on the planet is about to begin, but this isn’t business as usual. Qatar is gearing up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup – the first time the tournament has been held in the Middle East – and this tiny country of less than three million people is about to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors. While Qatar is no stranger to international travellers, the scale and concentration of the expected demand is like nothing the country or its national airline has previously encountered.
The 2022 event marks the first time that all 64 games will have been played in such a compact geographical area since the inaugural single-stadium edition in 1930. All matches are centred in and around Doha, with only 35 miles between the most distant arenas. While this has logistical benefits for fans and participating teams, it also creates real bottlenecks for the aviation industry.
FIFA forecasts suggest that more than a million people will visit Qatar during the tournament, with hundreds of thousands of visitors in the country on the busiest days. As a result, Qa…
