This international airline to hire 10,000 staff amid FIFA World Cup preparations

The Doha-based carrier is in the midst of a recruitment drive that will lift its total workforce to more than 55,000 from around 45,000 currently.

However, the airline did not comment on how many of the new positions would be permanent. During the pandemic, Qatar Airways 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.

As per the Reuters news agency, recruitment events were held in the Philippines, India, and other countries last month.

During the tournament, Qatar Airways is adjusting 70% of its schedule to make way for additional flights arriving in Doha and has canceled other flights and reduced frequencies 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 will 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 said.

Flight bookings to Qatar are booming for the soccer World Cup being held in November and December, with particularly strong demand from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as fans work around a shortage of accommodation in Doha.

Flight bookings to Qatar from the UAE and nine other countries have risen ten-fold compared with before the pandemic.

Qatar Tourism reported 31,123 hotel rooms in the country at the end of the first quarter.

FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, has booked 80% of available rooms for players, guests, and officials during the tournament, Qatar’s World Cup organizers said.

Dubai has 115,000 hotel rooms and 25,000 rental apartments, travel data firm OAG said last week.

Qatar Airways and flydubai, working together, will operate some 54 flights a day between Dubai and Qatar, versus just six scheduled previously, OAG said.