Qatar airport passenger traffic falls, cargo rises in first half

DUBAI - 18 July 2018: Qatar's Hamad International Airport recorded a sharp decline in passenger traffic in the first half of 2018 amid a protracted dispute with Arab states that severed ties with Doha.

Hamad International is the base of Qatar Airways which competes against Emirates and Etihad Airways. The airline has been banned from using the airspace of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt after the four states imposed a trade and travel ban on Qatar in June 2017.

The number of passengers using Hamad International fell 13 percent to 16.5 million in the six months to June 30, 2018 from 19 million in the same period last year, according to Reuters calculations based on data released by the airport on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE were major markets for Qatar Airways. The four boycotting countries accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, a charge Doha denies.

More cargo has been flown into Qatar following the dispute, in which the country's only land border with Saudi Arabia was closed.