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Hamad International Airport

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Hamad International Airport

مطار حمد الدولي
  • IATA: none
  • ICAO: OTHH [1]
    Hamad Intl. is located in Qatar
    Hamad Intl.
    Hamad Intl.
    Location of future airport in Qatar
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorQatar Civil Aviation Authority
LocationQatar Doha, Qatar
Hub forQatar Airways
Elevation AMSL35 ft / 11 m
Coordinates25°16′23″N 51°36′29″E / 25.27306°N 51.60806°E / 25.27306; 51.60806
Websitewww.ndiaproject.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16R/34L (W) 4,250 13,940 Asphalt
16L/34R (E) [2] 4,850 15,910 Asphalt
Source:

Hamad International Airport (ICAO: OTHH) (Arabic: مطار حمد الدولي) is the international airport facility currently under construction in Doha, capital of Qatar.[3] Formerly known as New Doha International Airport (NDIA), Hamad International Airport was originally slated to replace the old Doha International Airport as Qatar's only international airport in 2009, but after a series of costly delays, the opening is set for mid-2013. It has been built 5 kilometers east of the current airport. The new airport is spread over an area of 6,300 acres (2,500 ha). The airport was currently scheduled to open on April 1, 2013, and was set to initially serve airlines that will not utilize lounge access. National carrier Qatar Airways is due to move into the new airport once all the lounges and duty free shops are completed with the move slated to take place gradually from June to September 2013. Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, chairman of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority as well as a spokesperson from Qatar Airways, the operator of the airport and main customer, have indicated that the airport will be renamed Hamad International Airport when the hub opens.[4]

History

Planning took place in 2003 and construction began in 2006 and after a series of delays, the first two phases and a part of the third phase are scheduled to open mid 2013.[5] while the third and final phase is scheduled for 2015. The airport is built over 22 square kilometers, half of which is on reclaimed land.[6]

HIA was designed primarily to deal with the growing volume of traffic at the airport. The airport will be able to handle 29 million annual passengers at its opening, three times the current airport capacity. In comparison with other major airports around the world, it will be one of the largest in the world.[7] Upon completion, it will be able to handle 50 million passengers per year, although some estimates suggest the airport could handle up to 93 million per year, making it the second largest capacity holder in the region after Dubai.[8] It is also expected to handle 320,000 aircraft movements and 2 million tonnes of cargo annually. The check-in and retail areas are expected to be 12 times larger than at the current airport (making HIA two-thirds the size of Doha[9]). Moving walkways will be installed.

The airport has an oasis theme. Many of the buildings will have a water motif, with wave-styled roofs and desert plants growing in recycled water.

The Steering Committee awarded the contract to develop the airport to Bechtel. The contract includes the design, construction management and project management of the new facilities. The terminal and concourses were designed by the architecture firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum. Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract for Phase I and II were undertaken by Turkish TAV Construction and Japanese Taisei Corporation.

Opening postponement

The airport's opening was cancelled just a few hours prior to soft launch on 1 April 2013, and has been put off indefinitely due to a review of safety related concerns that may take upto six months.[citation needed]

Phase I

Site works for Phase I Development commenced at site since March 2006. Schedule of works as of September 2010 :

a) Construction completed : Site mobilization; Excavation & removal of rubbish tip; Reclamation; Engineered Landfill; Passenger Terminal Foundation
b) Construction in progress : Passenger Terminal Complex; Emiri Terminal, Parking Structure & Public Mosque; Airfield Paving & Road Tunnel; Utility System; Airside/Landside Roadways; Airport Operation Facilities; Fuel System; Air Traffic Control .
c) Design in progress : Landscaping & Irrigation; & Support Facilities; Airline Engineering & Operation Facilities.
d) Contract Formatting : Airline Support Facilities; Catering Facility; CAA Headquarter Facility; Aircraft Maintenance Hangar; Terminal Access Tunnel & Cross Taxiways.

Hamad International Airport

Phase II and III

The second phase of construction includes adding a further 16 contact gates and extending the terminal building to 416,000m². There will also be a suspended monorail system for transporting passengers throughout the terminals. An additional luxury hotel will be constructed to accommodate the additional passenger capacity of over 25 million a year who will pass through the airport. The third phase includes the addition of a further 40 contact gates, which would bring the final total to 80. The terminal building will extend to 416,000m² to accommodate the extra gates and therefore will be capable of handling the projected 50 million passengers, 320,000 aircraft movements and two million tons of cargo a year.

During opening day in April 1, 2013, a total of 10 contact gates will become fully operational, which includes parts of Phase I. The remainder 31 gates are scheduled to be operational towards the end of 2013, when all of Phase I, II, and parts of Phase III will be complete.

Final completion of all three phases is expected in 2015. When fully completed, New Doha International Airport will be able to service six A380-800 superjumbos simultaneously.

Runways

The airport has two parallel runways, located 2 kilometers from each other, which are designed for simultaneous take-offs and landings . The first is 4,850 m (15,910 ft) and is considered to be the longest runway in Western Asia, and also one of the longest runways in the world. The second runway, is 4,250 m (13,940 ft).[10]

Terminals and Concourses

Terminal 1

The Terminal is set to completely open towards the end of the year. Concourse B will be the only functioning part of the terminal on April 1, 2013.

Concourse A

Concourse A has 10 passenger gates connected to jet bridges and is located west of the check-in area and Main Terminal. Two of the gates can handle the Airbus A380.

Concourse B

Concourse B has 10 passenger gates connected to jet bridges and is located east of the check-in area. It is set begin operations on April 1, 2013 with 10 airlines transferring operations over from Doha International Airport. Two of the gates can handle the Airbus A380. There will be a small coffee shop located at the end of Concourse B, as well as smoking rooms, family areas, and an express duty free store. The airport's main duty free areas are scheduled to be opened during the end of the year. [11]

Concourse C

Concourse C has 13 passenger gates connected to jet bridges, two of them catering to the Airbus A380. There will be a number of remote gates without a fixed jet bridge link connected to Concourse C.

Airlines and destinations

Initially ten airlines and all cargo operators were to shift service from the old Doha airport on April 1, 2013,[11] however the soft launch was cancelled just a few hours prior to it and has been postponed indefinitely, due to unsatisfactory safety related issues that need further reviewing and may take upto six months.[12]

References