[custom_adv] Hamad International Airport is the international airport of Doha, the capital city of Qatar. It replaced the former Doha International Airport as Qatar's principal airport. [custom_adv] Formerly known as New Doha International Airport (NDIA), Hamad International Airport was originally scheduled to open in 2009, but after a series of costly delays, the airport finally opened on 30 April 2014 with a ceremonial Qatar Airways flight landing from nearby Doha International. [custom_adv] National carrier Qatar Airways and all other carriers formally relocated to the new airport on 27 May 2014. Hamad International Airport is the international airport of Doha, the capital city of Qatar. It replaced the former Doha International Airport as Qatar's principal airport. [custom_adv] Planning took place in 2003 and construction began in 2005. The airport (terminal and runway) has been built 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the older Doha International Airport. It is spread over an area of 2,200 hectares (5,500 acres), and was set to initially serve airlines that will not utilize lounge access. [custom_adv] Hamad International Airport was designed to cater for a projected ongoing increase in the volume of traffic. The airport has an initial annual capacity of 29 million passengers, three times the current volume. [custom_adv] 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 airport in the region after Dubai. [custom_adv] 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 those at the current airport. The airport will be two-thirds the size of Doha city. [custom_adv] The airport has an oasis theme. Many of the buildings have a water motif, with wave-styled roofs and desert plants growing in recycled water. The airport is built over 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi), half of which is on reclaimed land. [custom_adv] The Steering Committee awarded the contract for the development of the airport to Bechtel. The contract includes the design, construction management and project management of the facilities. [custom_adv] The terminal and concourses were designed by the architecture firm HOK. Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract for Phase I and II were undertaken by Turkish TAV Construction and Japanese Taisei Corporation.
