Qatar’s big plan

A look at the ambitious project for the state-of-the-art New Doha I nternationalAirport.

The New Doha International Airport (NDIA) is a key project in Qatar's national development strategy. The airport will fulfill three critical roles: for Qatar to be the gateway to the world, to be the hub for Qatar Airways and other airlines, and to serve as a cargo and aircraft maintenance centre.

NDIA will be one of the first airports in the world to accommodate unrestricted operations by all commercial aircraft, including the new Airbus A380 airliner that will soon be added to Qatar Airways' fleet. At opening day (2011), NDIA is designed to annually accommodate 24 million passengers, 1.4 million tonnes of cargo and more than 360,000 aircraft movements.

The ultimate master plan allows NDIA an ultimate capacity to annually accommodate nearly 50 million passengers and 2.5 million tonnes of cargo. The site area of 22 square kilometres has the capacity for two runways, a mega passenger terminal, more than 100 aircraft stands, a full range of airport support facilities, and extensive commercial developments.

In time for the opening day, two runways with lengths of 4850 metres and 4250 metres, separated 2 kilometres apart will be provided. The passenger terminal and concourse will be about 600,000 square metres and will provide 41 contact gates and 22 remote gates. Other facilities include the Emiri Terminal, air traffic control tower, cargo complex and maintenance centre. 1. Passenger complex

The design of the roof structure alone is enough to ensure that NDIA stays in the mind of the international traveller as a landmark structure in the world of aviation. Reflecting the terminals' seaside setting, the roof will be wave-like in structure. The transparent façade of the terminal beneath, further emphasises its state-of-the-art curves.

Inside the terminal, the design focus has been on the creation of a spacious but efficient and convenient airport experience. The result is a multi-level building with arched columns, generous skylights and highlighted finishes that enhance the feeling of space.

The passenger terminal is designed so that all passenger transfers can occur under one roof. With short walking distances between gates, and shorter connection times between flights, passenger waiting and walking times are minimised, all helping to ensure an effortless passenger experience within the facility. In addition to this, passenger processing will be managed to ensure quick passenger processing.

An extensive central area has been designed for duty free, retail, food and beverage amenities and airline lounges. All departing passengers will walk through this area. The terminal will also have a 100-room transit hotel with health and entertainment facilities. 

Significant thought has also been given to the exterior of the facility. Featuring a man-made lagoon and strategic landscaping, the intent has been to create a lush green space. 2. Air Traffic Control Tower

Like a pivot in the centre of the airport, the crescent-shaped Airport Traffic Control Tower will provide the control between the two parallel runways and airside facilities at the New Doha International Airport.

The Air Traffic Control Tower will be an elevated, triangular shaped structure, topped by a glazed control room, about 85 metres above the airport. From here, air traffic control staff will have unobstructed views of all aircraft movements, on runways, taxiways and aprons.

The technical complex at the base of the tower will comprise multi-storey buildings, parking facilities and access roads. This will house the advanced technical systems for the control tower - in particular that relating to the approach control room. There will also be a training room that can be used as a control room in case of emergency. 3. Cargo Terminal

Located in the midfield area, NDIA's cargo complex is made up of seven facilities covering more than 290,000 square metres and will have the capacity for processing 1.4 million tonnes of cargo per year, making it amongst the largest cargo terminals in the world.

A main feature of the cargo complex is the 48,000 square metres Cargo Terminal building which houses the Air Cargo Handling System. The system has the capacity to accommodate more than 1000 main deck ULDs and more than 5000 individual consignments. The Cargo Warehouse Information System (CWIS) will ensure that the locations of all of the cargo in the terminal are tracked so that the cargo can be processed quickly.

Other features are the special cargo, hazardous cargo and high value cargo areas. 4. Aircraft Maintenance Base

The Aircraft Maintenance Base at NDIA will be the central maintenance hub for Qatar Airways' international fleet. Located in the midfield area, it will be capable of holding a maximum of eight wide body, and two narrow body aircraft, with two positions capable of servicing the future Airbus A380s.

The base is in the form of a large hangar for both line-base and heavy maintenance. The design of its layout and column-free spacing is focused on ensuring flexible aircraft parking at all times to deliver maximum maintenance efficiency.

The workshop building at the back of the aircraft hangar bays will provide specialised maintenance and automated spare parts storage.

The central engineering office for Qatar Airways will be located adjacent to the hangar and workshops. This building will house the airline's engineering departments including maintenance and quality assurance. 5. Catering building

The NDIA catering facility will be one of the world's largest in-flight catering facilities when completed, equipped with a fully automated in-flight and bulk kitchen catering facility covering approximately 65,000 square metres of food operations and production area for a daily meal production capacity of 85,000.

The facility comprising a three-storey structure and basement will be a state-of-the-art facility within the industry and will include an automatic cart transport system, automatic bin conveyor system, automatic storing and retrieval systems, high bay pallet store, kitchen by food types, freezing and chilled rooms, linen storage and laundry facilities, airside and landside food production, and administrative and staff amenities, amongst others.