Country Prepares For Opening Of Hamad International Airport In Capital Doha
Airline CEO Unveils Details Of New Facility During Press Conference At ITB Berlin, World’s Largest Travel Show In German Capital
Qatar Airways today spoke of how 2013 will be an exciting year and chapter for the State of Qatar’s aviation industry as the country prepares for the opening of the brand new Hamad International Airport.
The iconic facility, built at a cost of over US$15.5 billion, is set to open in phases, beginning April 1 with a select-few airlines moving from the current Doha International Airport.
Qatar Airways Group, which will manage and operate the new airport, will move to Hamad International towards the end of the year.
Speaking today at a Press Conference at ITB Berlin, the world’s biggest travel fair taking place in the German capital, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker spelled out the exciting developments taking place in the country with the national airline playing a pivotal role in the nation’s airport infrastructure developments.
Showcasing the latest updates at ITB Berlin was a perfect platform for Qatar Airways to provide travel, aviation and business journalists from around the globe with an update and inside view on the world’s newest aviation hub.
Al Baker also spoke of how Qatar Airways looked forward to becoming a fully fledged member of oneworld, the first of the major Gulf carriers to announce intentions to join a global airline alliance. And he elaborated on an exciting new association, set to begin this summer, when Qatar Airways becomes a strategic partner with football giants FC Barcelona.
He said: “These are exciting times for Qatar Airways and the State of Qatar. The opening of Hamad International Airport, our new home, will be a formidable milestone in the country’s relatively short history in the aviation industry.
“This is an airport being watched closely by industry observers around the world, an airport that will set the standards and benchmark globally in the quality of facilities, services and finishings, nowhere seen anywhere in the world.
“We look forward to welcoming the first airlines next month followed soon after by cargo operations and freighter flights moving across to Hamad International Airport. Qatar Airways will move its entire operations to the new airport by the end of the year.”
Hamad International Airport will initially have a handling capacity of 28 million passengers a year, increasing to 50 million in its final phase of development beyond 2015. The current airport will remain open to passenger services until Qatar Airways moves its entire operations to the new facility.
Highlights of the new facility include over 40,000 sqm of retail space and passenger lounges, 41 contact gates, dedicated gates for the Airbus A380 superjumbo, a VVIP terminal, an iconic mosque, cargo complex and two runways, one being the longest in the world, and much more.
Added Al Baker: “The new airport is an architectural masterpiece that promises to be a great new travel experience, meeting the exciting expansion plans for Qatar Airways which currently operates 121 aircraft to 125 destinations worldwide. Within three years, we will surpass 170 aircraft flying to over 170 destinations. Our expansion has been a game-changer in the industry, rising over the years to meet the exceptional demand for business and leisure traffic.”
The airline boss stressed how important Qatar Airways’ aggressive expansion plans were to a strategy set just 16 years ago when the airline was launched.
He said the airline’s German operations, now in its 15th year, was a key European market gradually expanded to 35 passenger flights each week between Doha and three cities – double daily to both Frankfurt and Munich, and daily to Berlin.
“Across the world, we are continuing our expansion with three new routes already launched this year to Najaf in Iraq, Gassim in Saudi Arabia and to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. We will be adding Chicago to our network next month, followed by Salalah in May and Chengdu in China later,” added Al Baker.
“By the end of the year, we expect to become full members of the oneworld airline alliance that will give us greater reach to many more cities around the world through our new partner airlines. 2013 will also be a year where our brand will be elevated to a new global platform through our strategic partnership with football giants FC Barcelona. Exciting times ahead indeed.”
Qatar Airways will launch scheduled flights to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Chicago, USA (April 10); Salalah, Oman (May 22); Chengdu, China, at a date to be confirmed, and many more start-ups to be announced.
