Qatar 2022: Mass recruitment drive in national career Qatar Airways ahead of showpiece event

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Bengaluru/Doha, October 13: With the countdown for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup nearing its end, the country's premier flight carrier -- Qatar Airways -- is boosting its workforce by 10,000 to handle an influx of passengers flying into Doha for the quadrennial extravaganza and in line with a broader post-COVID-19 pandemic expansion.

According to a report which appeared in Reuters news agency, the Doha-based carrier is in the midst of a recruitment drive which will lift its total workforce to more than 55,000 from around 45,000 currently, a spokesperson, who declined to be named.

"Qatar Airways is on a growth trajectory following COVID-19 and with World Cup preparations in full swing it is ramping up recruitment across the airline," the company said in a statement to the international news agency.

The airline declined to say how many of the new positions would be permanent. It cut staff levels to below 37,000 in 2021 after reducing its destinations to 33 cities during the height of the pandemic in 2020. It has since ramped operations back up to more than 150 destinations.

Recruitment events were held in the Philippines, India and other countries at the end of September, the spokesperson said.

It is not yet clear how many of the new staffers will be in place when the World Cup -- the first to be held in the Middle East and entire Arab region kicks off on November 20.

During the tournament, Qatar Airways is adjusting 70 per cent of its schedule to make way for additional flights arriving in Doha and has canceled other flights and reduced frequencies in order to free up aircraft to meet demand from fans.

Other airlines will significantly increase flights to Qatar, which has reopened an old airport for the event.

"It'll be a huge challenge to be able to manage this very fast moving demand for very large numbers of spectators," Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker had told reporters recently.

For the records, the Qatar 2022 will be a 29-day affair -- the shortest in FIFA World Cup history -- with the tiny Middle East country hosting the mega event at eight venues -- Khalifa International, Al Janoub, Educational City, Al Rayyan, Al Bayt, Al Thumama, Stadium 974 and Lusail Stadium.

The final will be held on December 18, to coincide with Qatar's National Day at the 80,000-seater iconic Lusail Stadium, which embodies the country's ambition and its passion for sharing Arab culture with the world.