After a series of costly delays, it eventually opened six years late, on 30 April 2014, with a ceremonial Qatar Airways flight landing from nearby Doha International.

[citation needed] Hamad International Airport was designed to cater for a projected ongoing increase in the volume of traffic.

[8] The original soft launch on 2 April 2013 was cancelled just a few hours prior, and was postponed indefinitely due to unsatisfactory safety related issues that needed further reviewing taking nine months to address.

Qatar Airways later blamed Bechtel for the opening delay in April 2013, citing failures to meet regulatory requirements.

[11] Hamad International Airport (HIA) recently commemorated its 10-year milestone, signifying a decade of successful operations since its official inauguration in May 2014.

On 30 October 2020, a report by The Guardian noted the apology of the Qatari government, which said that those “responsible for these violations and illegal actions" had been referred to the public prosecution office, offering “the sincerest apology for what some female travellers went through as a result of the measures”, adding “While the urgently decided search aimed to prevent the perpetrators of the horrible crime from escaping, the state of Qatar regrets any distress or infringement on the personal freedoms of any traveller caused by this action.”[20] As of the beginning of 2021, none of the women who were searched have been contacted by the Qatari authorities;[21] subsequently, five Australian women launched legal action against Qatar Airways and two other government bodies over the incident in late 2021.

[22][23] The Federal Court of Australia dismissed the case in April 2024, after finding that the searches did not happen on board a Qatar Airways aircraft nor were carried out by the airline's employees.

The untitled sculpture, often known as "Lamp Bear", is one of three creations by Swiss artist Urs Fischer and is on display at the grand foyer of the airport's duty-free shopping hall.

Standing at seven meters tall and weighing approximately 18-20 tons, the statue was previously displayed at the Seagram Building's plaza in New York City before being purchased by a member of the Qatari royal family at a Christie's auction for US$6.8 million.

[29][30] In 2018 the airport added a new sculpture in their terminal, called Small Lie by American artist Kaws, which was a donation from Qatar Museums.

[32] In 2023, a new central building located between the existing Concourse's D & E featuring a 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft) tropical garden with a 268 meters (879 ft) tall water feature opened, bearing extreme similarities to the Singapore Changi Airport's Jewel structure that was designed and built four years prior.

A new Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge occupies the mezzanine level, covering 9,000 square metres (97,000 sq ft).

[citation needed] The airport has two parallel runways, located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from each other, which are designed for simultaneous take-offs and landings.