Hamad International Airport (HIA) has been ranked as the world’s second best airport in the prestigious 2019 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards.

The Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards evaluate airports based upon the direct feedback of their readers who vote for their favourite airport across the globe, upon criteria such as access, check-in, security, restaurants, shopping, and design.

Engineer Badr Mohammed Al Meer, chief operating officer at HIA stated: “We are very proud to be recognised by our loyal passengers for the seamless airport experience offered by Hamad International Airport. To be named the World’s Second Best Airport is a great achievement and testament to HIA’s high international standards. While this is a great recognition, we never rest on our achievements, and constantly evolve to deliver a truly unique experience for our passengers.”

Jacqui Gifford, editor in chief at Travel and Leisure, added: “For 24 years, our readers have been voting in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. This annual franchise is a global collection of the top hotels, islands, cities, cruise lines, airlines, and more.”

“Brands and properties from all over the world—from Peru to Japan, India to Italy, and right here at home in the US—are recognised by our audience because they deliver on exceptional experiences, rooted in a sense of place,” Gifford said.

HIA has achieved significant milestones within the criteria for which it has been voted as the second-best international airport. Passengers have been given autonomy for the check-in process through the airport’s Smart Airport Program which has introduced self-check-in and bag drop kiosks which are biometric-enabled. This also makes the check-in process faster, which vastly improves customer experience and allows more passengers to be managed without physical expansion of the check-in facilities.

Within the security criterion, HIA has increased its security capacity for screening in its transfer areas and reduced queuing time, as part of its commitment to providing a seamless transfer experience for passengers and maintaining high standards of security. The airport has also further improved customer service in the transfer security areas, allowing at least 95 per cent of its transfer passengers to queue for under five minutes, which is an industry-leading achievement

HIA’s shopping and dining offering spread across 40,000-sq-m of combined retail, food and beverage options are also continuously expanding. The most recent addition at the airport is the opening of the Swiss Chocolatier ‘Läderach’ in the terminal, which inaugurated its boutique where chocolate lovers and connoisseurs travelling through HIA can indulge in a variety of high-quality chocolate and confectionery specialities all produced by hand. HIA also saw the opening of the first Del Monte F&B store in Qatar at the airport, offering passengers a new market catering for the health-conscious travellers.

HIA competed with some of Skytrax’s top 10 airports: Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) and Zurich Airport. - TradeArabia News Service