Qatar seems to have an answer for the large number of fans expected at the 2022 World Cup in November: shuttle flights.
The country hopes to attract 1.2 million people during the event, but with only 90,000 hotel rooms in host city Doha, there are concerns over how the country will accommodate the anticipated number.
Qatar Airways announced on Thursday that fellow Gulf Arab airlines would provide more than 180 daily shuttles from nearby Middle Eastern cities to Qatar in the morning and back in the evenings.
- Oman Air will bring as many as 3,400 with 48 daily flights.
- Saudi Arabian Airlines will bring up to 10,000 people with 60 daily flights.
- Kuwait will have as many as 1,700 fans with 20 flights per day.
- Flydubai will carry up to 2,500 with 60 daily flights.
- UAE’s Etihad and Air Arabia may also participate.
Sharing is Caring
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said the country’s goal is to share the “huge economic benefit” expected with surrounding countries. Estimates for Qatar’s cost for hosting could run as high as $220 billion. Reports from last year anticipate the event will have $20 billion in economic impact.
Baker’s statement comes after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain came to a resolution in early 2021, following a boycott of Doha for over three years.
