Qatar’s mega airport opening put off to early 2014
Tuesday, 10 September 2013 00:06
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The launch of the long-awaited Hamad International Airport, the planned $ 15.5 billon hub for Qatar Airways, has been delayed yet again, Arabian Business has reported.
The airport was originally supposed to open three years ago, but has missed a series of launch dates, including 1 April this year. After missing that target, due to the fact that the project had missed newly introduced safety requirements, the airport’s launch was pushed back to the end of 2013.
However, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker announced at a press conference in China where the airline launched a service to Chengdu, that Hamad International Airport would now begin operating early next year, according to the Peninsula newspaper.
The slow completion of the airport has led to a series of fractious comments from Al Baker as to the performance of the on-site contractors.
After the April delay, the CEO blamed US contractor Bechtel, saying that the firm had been “complacent” in meeting regulatory requirements laid down by the airline and the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.
