THE REALITY NOW LANDING…
For a would-be isolated country, Qatar is ricocheting between achievements and accolades, some literally sky-high.
When optimists get served lemons, it is time for lemonade, and so too with Qatar, which has responded to the blockade with plans to expand the annual capacity of Hamad International Airport (HIA) from 30 million to 50 million passengers in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. That event is the preeminent catalyst of wider economic advancement and ambitious tourism targets. With tenders for what is now the third HIA expansion phase already floated, Qatar will also boast an Airport City set to become an investment magnet, especially with foreign nationals' real estate purchases now a much juicier proposition.
What More can we Say?
HIA arose in response to Qatar's meteoric rise in recent years, whereby Doha International Airport had come to operate at almost double its capacity. The new 41-gate HIA, built at a cost of USD15.5 billion, has garnered countless plaudits for design and performance since its opening in 2014. For one, HIA—considered a five-star airport—was ranked fourth-best airport in the world at the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2019. To that add Best Airport in the Middle East for the fifth consecutive year and Best Staff Service in the Middle East for the fourth. These achievements also reflect those of flag carrier Qatar Airways, respected as a superior airline long before the country's regional travails. Indeed, Qatar Airways has strategically looked beyond its geographical neighborhood, having opened 19 new routes to Europe and Asia over the past two years. Small wonder then that it accounts for around 90% of the current 35 million passengers per year handled at the airport.
Fertile Growth
The project has two phases, where Phase A will connect Concourse D and E with a central concourse of additional gates by the World Cup year. Phase B will follow at a later date, raising annual capacity to just shy of 70 million passengers through an extension of existing Concourses D and E. Infrastructure aside, HIA will soon delight travelers with an indoor tropical garden to contrast the surrounding desert landscape. It will be located airside, given that 80% of travelers use HIA as a transit hub and therefore do not dwell. At 10,000sqm, the garden will become the focal point of HIA's enhancement program, boasting flora from sustainable forests on three continents. Meanwhile, an additional 11,720sqm dedicated to shopping and food is also on the way.
On the logistics side, HIA's freight processing capacity is earmarked to more than double from 1.5 million tons of cargo per year to 3.2 million tons. By 2023, a 323,000-sqm facility will advance Qatar's transcontinental cargo hub pedigree.
Not just Commercial Health
HIA's fourth emergency exercise, Oryx Golf 2019, staged in November, took a new direction. Rather than simulating an aviation-specific event, the scenario envisaged of a Qatar Airways inbound flight from a nation identified by the WHO as having an Ebola outbreak. And adding health to safety, the airport opened the Shafallah Center Lounge at Concourse C to facilitate travel for passengers with a range of special needs, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Where HIA is concerned, necessity clearly has been the mother of invention.
THE REALITY NOW LANDING…
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority
Given its successful performance in the last few years, QFC is optimistic it will be able to capitalize on Qatar's ongoing efforts to create a world-class business environment and attract more global companies.
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Lolwah R M Al-Khater, Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is focused on pushing forward Qatar's foreign policy, sharing information and perspectives that could be useful for regional security and advancing the Qatari narratives on many issues facing the world today.
read articleInterview
Richard O’Kennedy, Vice President, Research, Development, and Innovation, Qatar Foundation
The first country in the world to track its citizens' genomes, Qatar is on track to make one of modern science's biggest breakthroughs by personalizing medical treatment and precision care.
read articleInterview
Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister, Transport and Communications (MoTC)
With plans for a fully electric bus system and an impressive set of interconnected transportation options including metro, rail, and tram, the Ministry of Transport and Communication is shifting mobility into the next gear in Qatar.
read articleInterview
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor, Qatar Central Bank (QCB)
Encouraging local manufacturing, initiating self-sufficiency in dairy and farm products, expanding into new air and sea routes, offering select visa-free entry, and enacting fiscal reforms are but several of the successful reforms undertaken since 2017.
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Sean Kelly, Project Director, Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is no ordinary mall: with 650 hotel rooms, a 6,000-sqm cinema with 18 screens, six slides, three toboggan runs, and an ice river opening in September 2020, it is looking to slide into Qatar's tourism infrastructure in time for the World Cup.
read articleInterview
Mehmed Zingal, General Manager, Turkish Airlines - Qatar
With its 30th year celebration of its Miles&Smiles club launch in Qatar, Turkish Airlines is acknowledging its continued diligence to provide the best customer service, with targets to increase customer happiness through innovative technologies and increasing tourism to Qatar for the future.
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Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, President, Qatar University (QU)
Ranked in the top-500 universities by the Times Higher Education, Qatar University improves students' academic success by supporting students throughout their academic lifecycle, from the pre-university stage to beyond graduation.
read articleFocus
A lesson learned
The international attention set to fall on Qatar over the coming years is significant only to the extent that it generates advances in human capital required by Qatar's blueprint, National Vision 2020, where local know-how and innovation advance the nation and promote wellbeing.
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Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health & Managing Director,, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)
The health minister is committed to continuing the growth of Qatar's healthcare system, with plans for more than 20 new facilities specializing in pediatrics, geriatrics, and mental health.
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