Qatar unprepared for World Cup air traffic crush, report says Qatar was unprepared for World Cup air traffic crush, report says
Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup have been undermined by a rush of air traffic from the tournament, with the country’s airspace congested for four out of every 10 hours in a matter of weeks, a recent study says.
The United Nations’ body for aviation said in its report released Thursday that Qatar’s preparations and communications systems were “extremely poor” before the arrival of several thousand international players, coaches and staff. Qatar’s preparations and communications systems are “extremely poor” before the arrival of international athletes, the report says.
The report also said Qatar had made no effort to anticipate the air crash in a Russian air flight that killed 228 people after it exploded in mid-July. The report concluded that Qatar’s government didn’t seem to have properly considered its safety “as the largest sporting event in the world.”
On Friday, Qatar’s government defended its airport and its preparations, saying the report “ignores the facts” because it was “biased against the nation as a whole.”
The report by the UN agency said Qatar has not taken measures to prevent traffic congestion at an airport that had fewer than 5,000 passengers a day during the build-up to the tournament, saying it had spent only $200,000 ($280,000) to upgrade its airport infrastructure.
Qatar had to spend about $6.7 million to install three temporary buildings on the tarmac on April 5, ahead of a major international sports event, said the report.
The report, written by Jeroen Meijer, director general of UN Office for Disasters and Emergency Management, said Qatar plans to increase ticketing and baggage handling capacity at the airport and expects to increase its capacity to 20,000 passengers.
Meijer said the report concluded Qatar’s preparedness for the match was “extremely poor” and that the government doesn’t seem to have taken measures to prevent traffic congestion at the airport before the tournament started.
Qatar’s preparations have been undermined by a rush of air traffic from the tournament, with the country’s airspace congested for four out of every 10 hours in a matter of weeks, a recent study says. The United Nations