New Doha International Airport - Case Study Example

New Doha International Airport Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Introduction New Doha International Airport is an international airport under construction that is slated to replace the old Doha International Airport in Qatar (Books, LLC 14). The old Doha International Airport was the only international airport in Qatar prior to commissioning of the construction of the New Doha International Airport (Oxford Business Group 137). Qatar is a quite small country in the Arabian Gulf in the Middle East. Its capacity is 11,437km2 and its population is 1,703,448 (Doha International Airport). Qatar is surrounded by water from three different directions (peninsula). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the New Doha International Airport, discuss the reasons that necessitated its construction, provide an overview of the expected unique features of the airport, contractor and construction, describe major milestones that will be accomplished in phase one, two and phase three of the construction process and finally provide a brief over view of Qatar Airways which is the official carrier of Qatar. Overview of the New Doha International Airport The overcrowding and increased growth in the levels of passenger and cargo using the old Doha International Airport prompted the construction of the New Doha International Airport (eNotes). The airline industry growth in Qatar was mainly brought about by massive expansion of the Qatar’s national carrier airline the Qatar Airline (Books, LLC 89). Another factor that has contributed to the growth in airline industry in Qatar includes Qatar’s booming economy (Doha International Airport). The construction plan for the New Doha International Airport was undertaken in 2003 and its construction began in 2004 Ameinfo.com. The construction process was to take place in three phases. The first two phases are expected to be opened by the beginning of 2012 while the final phase is expected to be completed by 2015. The airport on completion is expected to occupy 22 Km2. Reasons for construction The New Doha International Airport is being constructed in order to handle the growing passenger and cargo volume in Qatar. The passenger statistics in Qatar are shown in the table below (Doha International Airport). Year Total passengers Total cargo (tons) Total cargo (1000 lbs) Aircraft movements 1998 2,100,000 86,854 1999 2,300,000 62,591 2002 4,406,304 90,879 200,351 77,402 2003 5,245,364 118,406 261,037 42,130 2004 7,079,540 160,088 352,930 59671 2005 9,377,003 207,988 458,530 59,671 2006 11,954,030 262,061 577,739 103,724 2007 9,459,812 252,935 557,626 65,373 2008 12,272,505 414,872 914,636 90,713 2009 13,113,224 528,906 1,166,038 101,941 2010 15,724,027 707,831 1,560,498 1 18,751 The figure indicates that passenger and cargo traffic has been increasing in Qatar since 1998. The trend is projected to continue rising. The New Doha International Airport is expected to handle over 50 million passengers per year even though some reports say that on completion the airport will be able to handle over 93 million passengers per year. If this is true, then the New Doha International Airport will be the second largest airport in the gulf region after the Dubai airport (Doha International Airport). The airport s expected to handle over 2 million tones of cargo on yearly basis in addition to handling over 320,000 aircrafts on yearly basis. Other areas that are expected to distinguish New Doha International Airport from the old one is an expanded check-in and retail areas to up twelve times bigger that it is currently. The New Doha International Airport is also expected to handle traffic by the installation of moving walkways. Uniqueness of the New Doha International Airport The New Doha International Airport is themed on oasis. Thus buildings in and around the airport are expected to be watershed themed. The roofs of these buildings will have waved roofs and desert potted plants that utilize recycled water (Books, LLC 121). The uniqueness of the airport is also found in its vicinity. The region around the airport is being reclaimed and the previous landfill was relocated. To add to its environmental consciousness theme, the airport is bound to be equipped with heat and occupancy CO2 sensors (Doha International Airport). Conservation of energy will also be enhanced through the tinting of roofs. Thus, the airport could be said to be a “green airport”. Another unique feature of the airport is that the airport is considered to be the first airport in the world that is designed specially to accommodate the new airbus A 380. Another unique feature of the airport is its commercial runways which are expected be the longest in the world. Other features include 510,000 m2 passenger terminal served with 40 gates, a separate terminal for the emir of Qatar that is one of the world largest aviation terminal and catering facilities that are considered to be world largest catering facilities (Doha International Airport). Contractor and construction Bechtel Group Inc. got the contract to construct, plan and design the first phase of constructing the New Doha International Airport. A master plan for the new airport was produced by the Bechtel Group Inc. in 2004 when the construction begun. In 2004 a massive reclamation of land previous a landfill and the sea took place. Over a half of the airport lies on reclaimed sea (Doha International Airport). The reclamation process came to completion in 2005. A 13km of armored seawall was required to protect the reclaimed area which is under construction. The initiative to remove over 6.5 million cubic meters of waste dumpsite to a remote engineered landfill meant that the construction of the airport met environmental standards. The construction of the Emir terminal contract was awarded to Takenaka in 2006. The same company also got a contract to construct a new car park building and a mosque. The IT, security and telecommunications systems contract was awarded to ARINC and Thales in 2007 (Doha International Airport). First phase of the New Doha International Airport This included construction of two runways whose dimensions are 4850m by 4,250m which are specially designed for the new airbus A380-800 superjumbo. It also involved construction of a three storey terminal building and 40 contact gates (Ameinfo.com). The building’s floor space is 350,000m2 and 25,000m2 of this is dedicated to retail space. The first phase also involved construction of eight hardstand aircraft parking bays and seven remote gates (Doha International Airport). This also involved construction f three new major roads to serve the airport. The first phase also involved construction of a three star transit hotel and a five star luxury hotel to facilitate the passengers. The phase also involved construction of a centrally located cargo terminal capable of handling up to 750,000 tones per year. The first phase also involved construction of an automated storage and retrieval system for passenger cargo. The cargo system was also constructed in the first phase and included advanced facilities for storage areas for export and import cargo and special areas to store hazardous materials. Phase one also involved construction of aircraft maintenance area that will be the hub for Qatar airways’ international fleet. The site is able to handle wide body aircraft (Doha International Airport). The site has a single large hangar, and workshop building. In addition, phase one involved construction of air traffic control tower which is elevated and crescent shaped and topped by a glazed control room. The air traffic control tower occupies a central control between airside facilities and two parallel runways (Morphopedia). The air traffic control tower also has a training room that is also used as a control room in case of emergencies. Phase one also involved comprehensive technical study on the impact of the facility on the environment (Books, LLC 67). This was followed by removal of waste from the facility and plantation. Phase one also initiated a project to maintain water quality and marine ecology (Hok 45). A solid waste treatment plant was also constructed to reduce and process solid waste during operation of the airport (Ecology and Environment, Inc. 76). Moving walkways were also constructed in phase one of the project and IT, telecommunications and security systems at the airport installed (Gulfnews.com). The first phase came to completion in 2011 and will be opened in January 2012 and will be capable of handling 25 million people per year at this stage (Doha International Airport). Second and third phase of the New Doha International Airport In the second phase, 16 additional contact gate will be constructed and the terminal building extended to 416,000m². a suspended monorail system will also be constructed during this phase (Airport-Technology.com). Additional, luxury hotel will be constructed. The third will entail addition of 30 contact gates. The second and third phases are projected to come to completion in2015. Qatar airways Qatar Airways Company is the official carrier for NDIA. It was established in 1993. Currently Qatar airways fleet has over 100 aircraft, and they fly to over 100 destinations around the world. In 2011 Qatar airways won the best airlines in the world by skytrax (Qatar Airways). The cabin crew has been awarded also quality of services (Doha International Airport). Twenty two new international destinations were launched by the airline in 2010 and 9 more were announced (Bechtel). The firm offers both passenger and cargo services. The table below illustrates Qatar airways’ fleet as august 2011 excluding Qatar executive. Aircraft In Fleet Orders Options Passengers Notes F J Y Total Airbus A319-100LR 2 — — — 8 102 110 Widescreen AVOD Airbus A320-200 24 7 — — 12 132 144 Widescreen AVOD/ Mainscreen Airbus A321-200 12 — — — 12 165 177 Widescreen AVOD / Mainscreen Airbus A330-200 16 — — 12 24 192 228 PTV AVOD 8 24 200 232 — 24 236 260 — 24 248 272 Airbus A330-300 13 — — 12 24 223 249 PTV AVOD — 30 275 305 Airbus A340-600 4 — — 8 42 256 306 PTV AVOD Airbus A350-800 — 20 — TBA EIS 2016 Airbus A350-900 — 40 — TBA EIS 2013 Airbus A350-1000 — 20 — TBA EIS 2017 Airbus A380-800 — 5 2 TBA EIS 2012 Boeing 777-200LR 9 — — — 42 217 259 Widescreen AVOD Boeing 777-300ER 16 9 — — 42 293 335 Widescreen AVOD Boeing 787-8 — 30 30 TBA EIS 2011 Qatar Airways Cargo Fleet Airbus A300-600RF 3 — — N/A Boeing 777F 3 3 — N/A Total 102 135 30 Conclusion Qatar’s New Doha International Airport is bound to the world aviation industry a new face. With its design specifically meant to accommodate the new airbus A 380 it will set the stage for the future airport constructions. The airport is also bound to ease the passenger and cargo traffic at the old Doha International Airport which was the only international airport in Qatar. The facility is bound to create thousands of jobs for both locals and international employees. Furthermore, the facility could be a source of tourist attraction in the region given its state of art design. The airport is also bound to give Qatar Airways Company a new face and a competitive advantage for its rivals in the region. The airport is bound also to set standards for being environmentally conscious in the aviation industry. The utilization of renewable energy and the fact that the facility is build on reclaimed land, spells the green ideology pursued by the firm. Works Cited Airport-Technology.com New Doha International Airport. Available at http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/doha/ [31 October, 2011] Ameinfo.com. Qatar's USD6 billion new Doha International Airport selects ARINC for IT systems integration. Available at http://www.ameinfo.com/117072.html Bechtel. New Doha International Airport, Qatar. Available at http://www.bechtel.com/new_doha_airport.html [31 October, 2011] Books, LLC. Airports in Qatar: Doha International Airport, New Doha International Airport, Al Udeid Air Base, List of Airports in Qatar. London: General Books, 2010. Doha International Airport. Airline Information. Accessed at http://www.dohaairport.com/ [31 October, 2011] Ecology and Environment, Inc. New Doha International Airport environmental impact assessment. London: Ecology and Environment, Inc., 2004 eNotes. New Doha International Airport. Available at http://www.enotes.com/topic/New_Doha_International_Airport [31 October, 2011] Gulfnews.com. Qatar targets 24m annual passengers in new airport. Available at http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/qatar-targets-24m-annual-passengers-in-new-airport-1.84325 [31 October, 2011] Hok. Hok: A Global Design Portfolio. London: Images Publishing, 2009. Morphopedia. New Doha International Airport City. Available at http://morphopedia.com/projects/new-doha-international-airport-city [31 October, 2011] Oxford Business Group. The Report: Qatar 2008. Oxford: Oxford Business Group, 2008. Qatar Airways. Home. Available at http://www.qatarairways.com/index.html [31 October, 2011] Read More