Qatar Airways signs $3b Airbus contract

[newswatcher]

Gulf News(10/12) (http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=105138)

[A300Man]

Hello Newswatcher - nice to see you being as prompt as ever with the headlines!!

I have to admit, I am a little bit surprised that these long-held options have been confirmed (not the A380 though - that was always inevitable)

But I somehow thought that the A340's would maybe have been converted to Boeing orders........

It does, however, make perfect sense to retain an all-Airbus fleet, in terms of commonality. However, I wonder if we will also see Boeings added to the orderbook shortly too.

On another issue Newswatcher, are you able to update us on progress of the new Airport at Doha. Physical, visible progress appears to be non-existent, after an initial flurry of activity.

Perhaps its on hold again.

[newswatcher]

A300man, interesting you should ask, since the following news articles have emerged from the Air Show, and as reported in "The Peninsula":

"Qatar yesterday(7/12) announced that it will soon invite tenders for more than $2.5bn for the construction of the new Doha International Airport.

At a largely attended press meet during the Dubai Air Show, Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, which operates Doha International Airport, announced that as a first step, global consultancy major Bechtel has completed the master plan for the new airport.

“Construction companies will soon be able to bid for more than $2.5bn worth of tenders for the first phase of Qatar’s new signature Doha International Airport, which will be developed as a major aviation hub for traffic between far East-Australia and Europe-North America, with an ultimate capacity of 50 million passengers,” he said.

“US-based construction and engineering company Bechtel has just completed the masterplan and once tendered, will be split into 18 construction packages during the next 60 months,” Akbar said and added that UK-based BAE systems will be advisor to the airline during the masterplan phase."

and,

"Qatar yesterday(7/12) outlined the construction packages for Phase I of the new Doha International Airport, which it envisions as a major travel hub to rival and even surpass Dubai. (the words "cloud" and "cuckoo" and "land" spring to mind!)

At a press conference on the opening day of the Dubai Air Show, Qatar Airways Cheif Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said Qatar would be targeting a different segment of the aviation market than Dubai but refused to provide details. “A good strategist does not reveal all his strategy, but you will see in two years,” he said.

The 2,200-hectare airport site is to the east of the existing Doha international airport. It will be developed in three stages, with work onsite to start in the middle of 2004 and the ultimate phase for completion by 2015. Until the new airport is opened, the existing airport will be significantly upgraded to handle the increase in passenger growth.

The construction packages for Phase I of the new Doha International Airport will cover site preparation, land reclamation, runways and aprons, navigation aids/meteorology/radar, airfield operations facilities, cargo complex, fuel farm, airside buildings, control tower, aircraft maintenance complex, airside roads / lighting / signage, passenger terminal building foundations, passenger terminal building superstructure and systems, Emiri terminal — site utilities, landside roads/ lighting / signage, landscaping / irrigation, and landside buildings.

Detailed design work will continue throughout 2004 and 2005, as the site is reclaimed and prepared. Construction of the new airport’s major facilities will begin from 2005, said the airline’s ceo.

The futuristic airport will have two parallel runways. The terminal will have 80 contact gates and will be able to accommodate six A380-800 super jumbos when fully developed.

The complex will also include three high classification hotels for the conveniences of visitors. The 21st century transfer hub is designed in such a way as to transfer passengers and their baggage from aircraft to aircraft within 30 minutes.

He said Qatar’s ambitions were backed by the emirate’s growing economy — it boasts the world’s third largest natural gas reserves — and aviation market.

Akbar played down a plan by Dubai to spend $4bn to expand its airport to handle annual traffic of about 30 million passengers by 2010 and more than 60 million by 2020. “Dubai has a different strategy and we have a different strategy,” he said.

The new airport “needs to set new standards and needs to be more than an ordinary transfer point but part of a fantastic travel experience,” said Baker, whose company operates the current airport.

Akbar said that during the 60-month Phase I period of the new development, the airport-half of which will be reclaimed from the sea, will have a capacity of 12 million passengers and would be completed in 2008.

The plan calls for a large area of land to be reclaimed from the sea and the construction of two parallel runways and 25 contact gates. Baker said a second phase which would lift the airport’s capacity to 50 million passengers a year would by completed by 2015.

This project will be Qatar’s most spectacular first impression for tourist and business visitors,” Akbar said.

“Our leadership in Qatar realises that first impressions are, perhaps, the most important. That is why we have embarked upon a signature project — the airport — where the visitors will have a first impression of the country,” he said. “We are determined to create a positive first impression for all who touch down at the new Doha international airport,” Akbar said.

The new airport will be the hub for Qatar’s flag carrying airline. “It will be critical to the ambitions of Qatar airways to become a global airline. The new airport will allow us to offer our passengers fast and efficient connections as we build a route network of over 60 destinations by 2005-end,” the airline ceo said.

The kind of facilities we will offer will make it almost a logical choice for major airlines to use the new airport — like Qatar Airways — as a hub. “It is, after all, astride on the East-West global connections,” Baker said. “Our new airport will set the benchmark for future airport development — you cannot expect any less as a passenger. It will be a global signature of the vision of Qatar,” he said.

Qatar Airways, founded in 1994, flies to 46 destinations in Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and North Africa. It operates an all-Airbus fleet of 27 aircraft, but plans to increase it to 52 in the next five years. In June it signed a $5.1bn order for 34 new Airbus jets.

Meanwhile, the head of the UAE’s civil aviation department and the chairman of Dubai’s flagship airline Emirates, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said that traffic at Dubai airport was growing by 14 per cent a year."

[HF-in-Doha]

."Qatar yesterday(7/12) outlined the construction packages for Phase I of the new Doha International Airport, which it envisions as a major travel hub to rival and even surpass Dubai. (the words "cloud" and "cuckoo" and "land" spring to mind!)"

Newswatcher, AAB was quite keen to NOT project this as competition to Dubai and there was no mention of the project being envisaged to rival or surpass Dubai. This is just a case of "creative" writing by the reporter

[newswatcher]

Glad to hear it HF-in-Doha, wouldn't do for AAB to get ideas above his station! Probably their interpretation of his statement Our new airport will set the benchmark for future airport development." I guess most people think that label applies to Dubai, in that region!

[HF-in-Doha]

Benchmark doesn't necessarily mean size or reach but also the incorporation of technology, airport design and layout, traffic flow and so and so forth and at that Doha can excel and be better than Dubai.

Even though bureaucracy played a big part in delaying the new airport, it was delayed also because AAB wanted the best of the best and no compromises. Hence you see the tripling of the budget and a complete re-design.

Don't forget that the new airport will be a clean sheet design (no baggage) and that it is still didn't go into the detailed design and planning phase (still a lot of time for more features to be added in). It will be one of the most technologically advanced airports in the world and would have some key features that DXB won't have. The people behind are some of the best industry and have such prestigious projects as Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok airport under their belt. Incidentally the new DOH Terminal layout (not design) is based on HKG.

[pontius's pa]

Sorry HF in Doha

Cannot resist it

No baggage huh?

that should keep the punters happy.

More seriously, I take it that that the nice piece of rough ground so handy for playing in the 4wd and the spur into the reclaimed bay where one could harvest cockles is to be taken over to build a new terminal.

what a waste

[A300Man]

Seems I tempted fate by asking the original question. Look forward to having a new airport in Doha.

It will NEVER be another Dubai, and I am sure that the constructor and owners have no intention of it ever becoming like another Dubai Airport.

[HF-in-Doha]

pontius's pa,

I didn't mean baggage in the literary sense but rather meant it metaphorically i.e. that the new airport won't have to deal with current problems or have to worry about integrating the existing infrastructure with the new. This avoids having to have compromises, compatability issues or having to go through the same problems and issues as the old airport had.

For example DXB was designed for one runway and so when the second one was added it wasn't in the optimum place but because of existing infrastructure they had to settle with that location and hence can't utilise both runways in the most efficient manner to maximise capacity. On the other hand the new DOH airport, being a clean sheat design is planned in advanced with two runways (with room to expand) and the layout maximises capacity and utilises resources in the best way.

"More seriously, I take it that that the nice piece of rough ground so handy for playing in the 4wd and the spur into the reclaimed bay where one could harvest cockles is to be taken over to build a new terminal."

Yes you are correct.