Hamad International Airport finally began passenger operations on 30 April 2014, with ten initial airlines operating. Qatar Airways later blamed Bechtel for the opening delay in April 2013, citing failures to meet regulatory requirements. Qatar Airways threatened a $600 million lawsuit against the joint venture contractor Lindner Depa Interiors for delaying the opening of the airport by failing to complete its lounges on time LDI stated that it was delayed due to inadequate site access. Hamad International Airport was then set to begin passenger operations in January 2014, with a soft opening. The original soft launch on 2 April 2013 was cancelled just a few hours prior, and was postponed indefinitely due to unsatisfactory safety related issues that needed further reviewing taking nine months to address. Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract for Phase I and II were undertaken by Turkish TAV Construction and Japanese Taisei Corporation.Ĭargo operations began from 1 December 2013, with an inaugural flight by Qatar Airways Cargo arriving from Europe. The terminal and concourses were designed by the architecture firm HOK. The contract includes the design, construction management and project management of the facilities. The Steering Committee awarded the contract for the development of the airport to Bechtel. The airport is built over 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi), half of which is on reclaimed land. Many of the buildings have a water motif, with wave-styled roofs and desert plants growing in recycled water. The airport will be two-thirds the size of Doha city.
The check-in and retail areas are expected to be 12 times larger than those at the current airport. It is also expected to handle 320,000 aircraft movements and 2 million tonnes of cargo annually. 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. The airport has an initial annual capacity of 29 million passengers, three times the current volume. Hamad International Airport was designed to cater for a projected ongoing increase in the volume of traffic.
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. The site of the airport (terminal and runway) lies 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the older Doha International Airport. The planning started in 2003 while the construction began in 2005.