As part of its Accessibility Forum commitments, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) organised a workshop at Hamad International Airport (HIA) to allow an independent consultation group to advise on specific disability access requirements for 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Each year more than half-a-million people with disabilities use HIA. The airport – which in January 2017 was awarded a Five-Star rating by Skytrax – has gone to great lengths to ensure a smooth passage is available to all passengers, and invited the delegation to showcase its achievements.
SC community engagement manager Khalid al-Jumaily praised HIA for their steadfast commitment towards providing accessibility features. “The team at HIA has worked tirelessly to provide a five-star service to all passengers,” he said.
“The airport already serves as a global hub for millions of travelers from across the world, and we have been delighted to see they have put accessibility at the forefront of all their plans when designing and building it.
“The SC is also dedicated to ensuring every fan who visits Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has the same experience everywhere they go, throughout their stay.
“Working closely with key stakeholders such as HIA is essential to ensuring we all reach this goal – and the Accessibility Forum representatives were delighted to play their part today.”
Since its inception in November 2016, the Accessibility Forum, which also comprises of various NGOs, private organisations, government bodies and people with disabilities, has worked closely with HIA.
As part of the continued collaboration, members of the group were given a tour of accessibility features inbuilt into the airport design such as short-term parking facilities near the terminal, customised elevators and walkways, passenger and companion washrooms, seating area at the gates, passenger lounge and relief area for guide dogs accompanying passengers who are visually impaired.



Members of the group were given a tour of accessibility features inbuilt into the airport design.

Officials from HIA also explained the various services provided for people with disabilities in the airport which, as well as being awarded the five-star rating, was also ranked by Skytrax among the world’s top 10. The services included customised check-in desks, painted floor marking in parking slots, induction loops in terminal for people with hearing disabilities, automatic doors in washrooms, support railings and emergency alarms, passenger train to and from gates with support railings and easy wheelchair access, evacuation chairs and passenger buses with easy ramp access.
The airport has also recruited trained attendants, particularly in the dedicated passenger lounge. Abdulaziz al-Mass, vice president commercial – HIA, lauded the vision shown by SC towards delivering an inclusive 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“As one of the best airports of the world, HIA is committed to ensuring a seamless passenger experience for all and hence we take great pride in continually improving the accessibility features of the airport,” said al-Mass. “The vision of the Accessibility Forum is to provide a wonderful tournament experience, and we are happy to contribute towards making the first ever World Cup in the Middle East a truly inclusive one.”
The SC delivered the first Accessibility Forum workshop of the year in March and Qatar Tourism Authority the second in May.

Related Story