New Doha International Airport, or Qatar International Airport, as it will be known to many, is being constructed 4 kilometres east of Doha International Airport, on a 5400 acre, or 22 square kilometre, site.
The new airport is being built in response to a huge projected demand for additional
passenger capacity to the Gulf region and Qatar's expanding economic strength as a
business and tourism destination. It is the first international airport to be specifically
designed with the Airbus 380 in mind.
The Gulf State of Qatar is a peninsula that is surrounded by the waters of the Arabian Gulf and anchored to the mainland at its border with Saudi Arabia. To the west of Qatar is the independent island state of Bahrain.
Qatar may only be a small country,about half the size of Wales in terms of area, since it only covers about 4,415 square miles or 11,437 square kilometres, [running roughly 85 km wide and 180 km long], but it is immensely rich in oil and natural gas reserves.
Per capita it is the second richest country in the world. It is also strategically at the centre of the Gulf Cooperation Council [G.C.C]. This means that New Doha International Airport is also conveniently located at the centre of the G.C.C..This will suit businessmen and politicians flying out on general Gulf business and for conferences etc.
The majority of the population of Qatar resides in Doha, however there are other major towns including Mesaleed, Dukhan, Al Khor, Al Shamal and Al Wakrah.
Currently, Doha International Airport handles 4.2 million passengers a year, whereas the new airport will be able to handle 12.5 million passengers per year after the FIRST phase of construction.
This First Phase alone will cost in the region of $2.5 billion dollars, whilst Phases Two and Three are projected to cost an additional $5 billion dollars.
Phases One and Two are due to be completed together in 2009, giving New Doha International Airport the capacity of 24 millon passengers per annum, or 8700 per hour, and enable the transportation of 750,000 tonnes of cargo per year.
When complete, in 2015, the airport will, in one year, be able to handle 50 million passengers; 2 million tonnes of cargo and 320,000 take-offs and landings. It will be three times the size of the current Doha International Airport and have six times the capacity!
The eastern runway will be 4850 metres long!! That is nearly FIVE KILOMETRES!!
At opening day, the 35,000 square metre passenger terminal will be the largest building in Doha,covering an area equivalent to 50 full size football pitches.
Many airport buildings have a water theme. The passenger terminal roof is shaped like a wave.
The airport will also feature a separate Emiri Terminal for visiting VIPs and Heads of State. This Emiri Terminal is externally shaped like sail boats.
New Doha International Airport will serve as a global hub for Qatar Airways, the world's
fastest growing premium airline.
Qatar Airways....Quality always!! It is a superb high class airline!!
The airport is being constructed just outside Doha, the fine,modern capital city of Qatar. When complete,it will be two-thirds the size of the city, and 12 times larger than the existing Doha International Airport. It will be vast!
During construction, the existing airport will be expanded and refurbished, at a cost of $140 million dollars, to increase capacity to 7.2 million passengers per year, as an interim measure until the new airport takes over.
The project to build New Doha International Airport began in 2004, with a detailed planning and design phase, produced by the Bechtel Group Inc, the main contractors.
The work continued in 2004 with a massive land reclamation project, since half of the area of the new airport is on 10.9 square miles of land reclaimed from the sea.
That reclamation, requiring 50 million cubic metres of "fill" to complete it, was finished in early 2005. This reclaimed area needed 13 kilometres of armoured seawall to be constructed as protection from the sea.
New Doha International Airport will have two parallel runways when complete, with 24 contact gates in Phase One to handle up to six A380-800 Super Jumbos, when fully developed.
Qatar Civil Aviation Authority [QCAA] and the New Doha International Airport Steering Committee are the bodies responsible for the construction of New Doha International Airport.......or Qatar International Airport, as it will inevitably be popularly known to millions of passengers!
At the airport, there will be a Free Trade Zone; an office and business park; a retail mall and several 5 star hotels.
It is an excellent, very exciting project and the Government of Qatar is to be congratulated on its intelligent long-term vision.
Qatar is putting its current high income from oil and gas production to extremely good use. New Doha International Airport is an extremely sound investment for the future, especially as aeroplanes get bigger.
Other innovative projects in Qatar are also a testament to this foresight. The development of the superb Doha Corniche is just one of them. Several high quality, luxury hotels are also in the process of being built in Doha and elsewhere, as Qatar makes a really big effort to establish itself as a major destination in international tourism.
It is well on its way! New Doha International Airport will ensure that Qatar achieves its growth targets!! It will be one of the finest state-of-the-art airports in the world.
By the way, Qatar is the only independent state in the world which begins with the letter Q, so............. Join the Q......Visit Qatar!!!
