Nothing like Qatar Airways lounge at HIA, says Akbar al-Baker

“It is not yet opened so I will give CNN the privilege of seeing it for the first time,” al-Baker told CNN Business Traveller, which is presented by Richard Quest.

“There is nothing like this anywhere in the work and I can say this with confidence,” al-Baker said as he hosted Quest at the Hamad International Airport.

On the lounge, al-Baker said, “You can see there are cocoons where friends sit in seclusion…these are areas where you get flight information displayed and you can also see programmes - similar to an iPad…and all these seats and furniture here are by designers like BNB, Techno, Matio Grassi so we really have top class features in our lounge.”

When Quest pointed out that airport openings were notorious and asked how he managed it, al-Baker said, “Well we had small glitches but nothing substantial. We had an issue with our baggage system, which is absolutely notorious. We had software issues which we already had a ‘plan B’ knowing what had happened to ‘Terminal 5’. So...the whole concept is getting into a mall- this becomes a destination for people.

“The airport is huge - around a third of the size of Doha - itself and once fully operational, will handle up to 50mn passengers a year.”

On whether he had a nervous moment the night before it (HIA) opened and your (Qatar Airways) planes were due to arrive here, al-Baker said, “I have always nervous moments and I really enjoy being nervous because that keeps my eyes on the ball.  You can see the quality of the shops - Hermes, Rolex, Bulgari and so on. We always want to be at the top.

“Because it is a reflection of my country. This is the first point you see Qatar and this will be the last point of Qatar you see before taking off. Here at Hamad there are more than 70 luxury stores including Tiffany, Bulgari and Mulberry as well as the usual fare in duty free.”

On competition, al-Baker said he loved it.

“You know that I love competition and I will always be ahead of the competition. You can see the quality, you can see the touches, you can see the detail and we will not compromise and this is what is making us ahead of everybody.”

Business Traveller will be aired on CNN on July 5, July 6, and July 7.