DOHA”S new international airport is on its way. Last week marked a ground breaking ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani. Scheduled to open in 2009 the New Doha International Airport lies approximately four kilometres east of the existing facility and will serve as a hub for the country”s national airline Qatar Airways. The cost has been estimated at US$2.5bn in the first phase and will be capable of handling 12m passengers a year, together with 750,000 tonnes of cargo. The final phase, expected to be completed in 2015 will handle up to 50m passengers and 2m tonnes of cargo a year. This is the first complete airport in the world to be designed and built specifically for the Airbus A380. It will be managed and operated by Qatar Airways, which takes delivery of the first of four A380s also in 2009. US construction giant Bechtel has been awarded the contract to build the airport, which will initially have a 26-gate passenger terminal complex, two runways, maintenance hangar, cargo centre and extensive shopping facilities.
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