Construction Begins at New Doha International Airport

Construction work has officially begun on the new $5.5bn Doha International Airport (NDIA).

NDIA is scheduled to open in 2009 at a cost of $2.5bn in the first phase and will be capable of handling 12 million passengers a year, together with 750,000 tonnes of cargo. Once fully developed in 2015 at a cost of $5.5bn, the airport is expected to handle up to 50 million passengers and 2 million tonnes of cargo a year.

One of the project’s key features is that 40% of the site will be built on reclaimed land from the Persian Gulf.

 The new airport will be managed by Qatar Airways, and will be the world’s first to be designed and built specifically for Airbus’s new A380-800 double-decker ‘super jumbo’ – the largest passenger aircraft ever built. The A380 will be capable of carrying more than 550 passengers, with Qatar Airways a launch customer taking delivery of the first of its four A380s in 2009, the year the new airport opens.

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Abdul Aziz Mohamed Al-Noami, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Qatar and Chairman of the NDIA Steering Committee, said: “We are very grateful for His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani, The Prime Minister, for laying the foundation stone today that signals the start of construction on site of this wonderful new airport which will help support the economic boom currently taking place in Qatar.

“This new airport will play a very important role in the development of the aviation sector in Qatar and will be an ideal base for Qatar Airways and other international airlines.”

Added Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer: “We are delighted to see work begin on this brand new airport which will be an engineering feat and promises to be a state-of-the-art facility in the region and, indeed around the world, when it opens in four years’ time.”

US engineering and construction giant Bechtel has been awarded the contract to build the new airport, which will initially have a 26-gate passenger terminal complex, two runways, maintenance hangar, cargo centre and extensive shopping facilities.

The state-of-the-art passenger terminal with a wavy roof structure will be accessed through a roadway network that passes through a man-made lagoon to complement the natural bay and water setting.

There will also be a 1,900 square metre airport mosque with minaret in a garden plaza located on the south side of the airport’s main passenger terminal.

The Emiri complex will be an architectural marvel, with the exterior shape of the pavilion representing sail boats which complement the water setting of the airport. The building is layered to provide a striking effect and will light up the night sky. The complex will also include a pavilion, ceremonial podium, apron, private roadways and parking, surrounded by lush landscaping. 

The airport complex will comprise a 75-metre high control tower located between the parallel runways, multi-storey office building, parking and access roads. Triangular in shape with one angle cut by a crescent shape all along its height, the structure will be topped by a glazed cabin.

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