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Qatar’s Hamad International to boost capacity with major expansion plan

Doha airport became the sixth airport in the world to be awarded 5-star rating by Skytrax

By Staff writer
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted (L) and Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker hold a press conference during a ceremony which crowned Dohas Hamad International as a five-star airport, one of only six in the world. (Photo: STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)n
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted (L) and Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker hold a press conference during a ceremony which crowned Dohas Hamad International as a five-star airport, one of only six in the world. (Photo: STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)n

Hamad
International Airport is to undergo a major expansion to increase the its capacity
to more than 65 million passengers.

Speaking
at a press conference where the airport was awards a global 5-Star Airport
rating by Skytrax, the international air transport research organisation, Qatar
Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the project will start this year and will be completed
“as soon as possible”.

“The
government has approved the expansion of the airport,” Al Baker told reporters.

“There
is a new steering committee that has been formulated under the chairmanship of
Abdullah bin Nasser Turki al-Subaey. The aim is to complete the expansion work
as soon as possible.”

The
expansion, which will increase the airport’s capacity from its current 50
million passengers, is being designed by British architects Foster and
Partners.

Hamad
International is the first airport in the Middle East to be award the prestigious
Skytrax 5-Star Airport’ award and the sixth worldwide, after Hong Kong, Munich,
Seoul Incheon, Singapore Changi and Tokyo Haneda.

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