A shortage of staff at Qatar’s main international airport is raising concerns that safety standards may suffer as soccer fans arrive for next month’s World Cup, according to a report.
The Daily Mail cited “concerned insiders” and an internal report that warned the situation at Hamad International Airport is at a “crisis point.”
The airport has been scrambling to recruit and train more staffers from around the globe in time for the influx of travelers coming in November. Sources told the Mail that they’re worried staffers, such as those working in air traffic control, are being offered jobs without full training.
A memo from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) stressed how important the soccer tournament is to the nation and how closely monitored it will be by Qatar’s leaders.
The memo appeared to make a blanket threat, saying that “undesired acts from individuals to sabotage the event or be part of being a factor to delay or even to fail some of the projects will be totally unacceptable and dealt with firmly by the state.”
It also said that “staff who are believed not to be fully motivated towards ultimate success and also motivating others not to partake in the successful delivery may be considered as having hidden agendas to sabotage state plans.”
Flights going in and out of the airport are expected to more than double in the lead-up to the tournament, jumping from about 700 a day to nearly 1,600.
In a statement, the QCAA said that ahead of the global soccer gathering, the government “has upgraded its traffic control systems and executed meticulous plans that were conceived well in advance of hosting the event.”
The World Cup officially begins on Nov. 20.
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