DOHA: Qatar Airways is adding 10,000 to its workforce to handle an influx of passengers to Doha for the soccer World Cup and in line with wider post-pandemic expansion, the airline told Reuters.
A spokesman, who declined to be named, said the Doha-based carrier is in the midst of a recruitment drive that will increase its total workforce from around 45,000 to more than 55,000.
"Qatar Airways continues to grow post-Covid and is ramping up recruitment across the airline in preparation for the World Cup,” the company said in a statement to Reuters this week.
The airline declined to say how many of the new positions would be permanent. It cut staff levels below 37,000 in 2021 after reducing its destinations to 33 cities in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
Recruitment events were held in the Philippines, India and other countries in late September, the spokesperson said.
It is not yet clear how many new staff will be in place when the World Cup kicks off on November 20 in Qatar, the first country in the Middle East to host a major football event.
During the tournament, Qatar Airways is adjusting 70 percent of its schedule to accommodate additional flights to Doha and has canceled other flights and reduced frequencies to free up aircraft to meet fan demand. Is.
Other airlines will significantly increase flights to Qatar, which has reopened an old airport for the event.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Bakr told reporters earlier this year that "managing this rapidly growing demand from a large number of spectators will be a huge challenge.”
Tiny Qatar faces an extensive staff shortage as it prepares to receive an estimated 1.2 million visitors during the month-long World Cup.
