Qatar Airways unveils new terminal

Doha: Qatar Airways yesterday inaugurated a $90 million airport terminal dedicated to its first and business class passengers.

The 10,000 square metre luxury facility, the world's first terminal to offer spa treatment rooms with Jacuzzis and saunas to passengers, will start operations on November 25, a week ahead of the opening here of the Asian Games.

"We lacked a facility offering world-class services to our premium passengers. As the number of passengers in our business and first class increases with the arrival of new and larger carriers, we want to offer them the best available services," said Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways.

He said the terminal can handle about 800 passengers per hour. It features exclusive check-in areas, duty free, conference rooms, a nursery, a clinic, and a Spa area operated by UK-based specialists.

The new premium terminal is also aimed to ease pressure on the old airport facilities, which have witnessed a tremendous increase in the number of passengers arriving to Doha. Qatar Airways only has seen an increase from 3.3 million passengers carried in 2003, to over 6 million this year.

The premium class facility is likely to remain operational only until 2009, when the first phase of the new Doha International Airport, currently under construction, will be completed.

"In the new international airport we will have first-class facilities, so this structure will not be necessary anymore," Al Baker said, adding that the facility may be utilised for other purposes.

Situated four kilometres east of the existing airport, the Doha International Airport will b the world's first to be designed and built specifically for the Airbus double-decker A 380, the largest passenger aircraft ever built.

The 2,200 hectare airport site will reclaim half of its land from the Arabian Gulf. Forecasted for maximum development in 2015, the $5.5 billion project will be implemented in three phases.

The first phase, to be completed by 2009 at the cost of $2.5 billion, will handle an initial capacity of 12 million passengers a year, increasing four-fold to around 50 million by the time the airport is fully operational in 2015.

The international airport will include a Royal Terminal complex for VIP flights, cargo terminal buildings, aircraft hangars and associated airline and airport ancillary features. The airport will include an airport hotel and a 100 room hotel within the terminal for transfer passengers.

The airline operates 51 aircraft and flies to 70 destinations across the world. By 2015 the fleet size will more than double to 110 aircrafts, including the twin deck Airbus A380 super jumbo, with a capacity of 555, with a delivery schedule beginning in 2009.