New airport’s opening is a matter of pride for Qatar
The recent official announcement that the $16bn ultra-modern Hamad International Airport would be ready for a “phased opening” by mid-2014 is a matter of great delight for people of Qatar.
While the project had missed deadline, the fact remains that it is one of the most modern airports in the world. Hamad International Airport is a key project in Qatar’s national development strategy and will significantly contribute to efforts at diversifying the economy away from oil and gas.
Recently, Ernst & Young in a report said Qatar economy’s focus has been on diversification in non-oil sectors such as manufacturing, construction, transport, communications, trade, hotels and government services, which are projected to increase by nearly 10% annually.
Hamad International Airport as well as Qatar Airways would be key drivers in the economic diversification efforts.
Gulf Times data indicate that the Hamad International Airport complex will cover an area of 28sq km. The terminal building will have a size of 600,000sqm.
It will have an initial capacity of 24mn passengers a year, more than doubling to around 50mn by the time it is fully operational beyond 2015.
The Hamad International Airport will incorporate some 80 contact gates, including 25,000sqm devoted to retail space, comfortable lounges, and multi-storey short-term and long-term parking facilities.
The airport has been designed in such a way that it will be able to hand superjumbos, including the Airbus A380s.
The HIA has two parallel runways, 2km apart, allowing for independent and simultaneous operations.
The 4,850m Eastern Runway is the longest commercial runway at sea level in the world. The Western Runway is 4,250m long. Both runways are 60m wide and capable of unrestricted A-380 superjumbo operations.
Combining both “architectural panache and technologically advanced” systems, the 2,200-hectare airport site reclaimed half of its land from the Arabian Gulf.
Recently, the International Airport Transport Association (Iata) said the Middle Eastern carriers, particularly the GCC region’s “Big 3”, including Qatar Airways, are the fastest growing globally. An airport of the scale of Hamad International would be a big boon for the rapidly expanding national carrier, Qatar Airways.
The airport would also scale up cargo operations significantly, providing valuable earnings to the national exchequer.
Cargo operations from the new airport are expected to begin within a few weeks although scheduled cargo flights are yet to land there. The shipment, for Qatar Petroleum, was transferred from Europe to Doha International Airport by air and then onwards to the new cargo terminal at HIA by road.
The cargo terminal at HIA, with an annual capacity of 1.4mn tonnes, is described as one of the world’s biggest cargo facilities.
The chairman of the new airport’s steering committee, Abdul Aziz Mohamed al-Noaimi, addressing a media event recently, said: “Through the work of many people, we have overcome the delays, and here today we are witnessing a major achievement of which Qataris will be proud for long years to come.”
