HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Hamad International Airport, formerly known as?New Doha International Airport?(NDIA) is the?international airport?of?Doha, the capital city of?Qatar. Doha Airport was formerly the main airport in Qatar, however, due to the fact that it was Qatar?s only international airport, there was a need to expand it so as to serve a larger number of passengers. Hamad International airport replaced the former?Doha International Airport?as Qatar's main airport. Doha Airport served 11 million passengers, and Hamad international airport on commencement served 23 million passengers. Hamad International Airport was originally scheduled to open in 2009, but after a series of costly delays, the airport finally opened on 30 April 2014 with a ceremonial?Qatar Airways?flight landing from nearby Doha International. National carrier Qatar Airways and all other carriers formally relocated to the new airport on 27 May 2014. On 5 January 2017, Hamad International Airport (HIA) joined the top tier of global airports becoming the sixth airport in the world to receive the ?5-Star Airport? designation by?Skytrax. The IATA code for Hamad International Airport is DOH, and the ICAO code for Hamad International Airport is OTHH. Presently, there is only one serving terminal in the Airport, but it has 5 concourses. Concourse A?has 10 passenger gates connected to jet bridges and is located west of the check-in area and Main Terminal. Two of the gates are designed to accommodate the?Airbus A380. Concourse B?has 10 passenger gates connected to jet bridges and is located east of the check-in area. It has opened on April 30, 2014 with 10 airlines transferring operations over from Doha International Airport. Two of the gates are built to accommodate the?Airbus A380. There is a small coffee shop located at the end of Concourse B, as well as smoking rooms, family areas, and an express duty-free store. The airport's main duty-free areas are scheduled to be opened before the grand opening on May 27. Concourse C?has 13 passenger gates connected to jet bridges, two of them built specifically for the?Airbus A380. There are 10 remote gates without a fixed jet bridge link connected to Concourse C. This Concourse has opened on 27 May 2014. Concourse D?Is fully operational. Gates 1-4 are on the first floor and Gates 20-24 on the ground floor. Concourse E?Is fully operational. Gates 1-4 are on the first floor and Gates 20-24 on the ground floor. Concourse D?&?Concourse E?are due to be extended with a possible?Concourse F?although plans are still to be finalized. Terminal 1 features First and Business Class lounges which were opened by?Qatar Airways?CEO, Akbar Al Baker on 20 June 2014. Qatar plans to build a terminal 2 only if the present passenger growth outnumbers the projected figures. This looks to be more of a certainty, as some of articles say that terminal two is a confirmed project due to the anticipated passenger load from the?2022 FIFA World Cup. AIRLINES OPERATING FROM HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Air Arabia Air Arabia Egypt Air Cairo Air India Express AtlasGlobal Biman Bangladesh Airlines British Airways Cebu Pacific Cham Wings Airlines EgyptAir Emirates airline Etihad Airways Ethiopian Airlines Flydubai Gulf Air Himalaya Airlines IndiGo Iran Air Iran Aseman Airlines Jet Airways Kuwait Airways Lufthansa Middle East Airlines Nepal Airlines Oman Air Pakistan International Airlines Pegasus Airlines Philippine Airlines Qatar Airways Regent Airways Rotana Jet Royal Air Maroc Royal Jordanian Airlines Saudia Sri Lankan Airlines Sudan Airways Syrian Air Turkish Airlines SERVICES, FACILITIES AND THINGS TO DO AT HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Hamad International Airport offers several facilities and offers special services to travelers. Some of the facilities available are smoking rooms to maintain a smoke-free environment for other travelers, multiple ATM?s located throughout the passenger terminal several of which dispense cash in different currencies and are located at the departure and arrival levels, before and after the customs checkpoint, foreign exchange kiosks located across the passenger terminal ? departures check-in area, departures towards concourse B, Arrivals baggage claim area, Arrivals hall ? they offer currency conversion and money transfer services. In the event of an emergency, Hamad International Airport has 2 fully equipped well staff medical centers operational 24 hours a day. One of the medical centers is located in the Arrivals Hall of the passenger terminal, and the second is located at the departure hall of the passenger terminal Services offered to travelers in Hamad Airport include Prayer rooms for travelers who need to pray, quiet rooms for travelers who need some peace and quiet before their flight starts boarding, a fitness room with recreational spaces such as a 25 Meter temperature-controlled indoor swimming pool, hydrotherapy tubs, fully equipped gym, shower room and squash courts. Within the airport premises, there is an Airport Hotel available for travelers who would like to refresh and relax while waiting for their flight. A room could be book and reserved online before time or at the airport. The airport has 5 exclusive room categories, a dining where a myriad of food options could be tried, and a wellness centre. Provisions are made for travelers with children and infants with the Activity nod innovation, parent?s rooms where parents can attend to their infant in privacy, and family toilets. There are 5 Activity nodes, one in concourse A, one in concourse B, and 3 in concourse C. These airport nodes have televisions, interesting art pieces, Mac stations, and internet. They offer complimentary wireless internet access for traveler?s gadget throughout the passenger terminal. They also offer complimentary internet kiosks and desks, and they have telephone booths where calls can be put across to anywhere in the world by purchasing a prepaid calling card from Qatar Duty Fee. The booths are located at the passenger terminals. They have shops where travelers can purchase beauty skincare products, perfumes, books, magazines, souvenirs, toys, electronics, fashion accessories, food, beverages, confectionery, gold, watches, liquor, tobacco and a list of others. There are also several restaurants that serve cuisines that Arabic, American, European, international and Italian. They also serve seafood. In Hamad International Airport, there are several lounge options for travelers and they include oryx, Al Mourjan Business lounge, Al Safwa Lounge, Al Maha lounge, first class lounge, unaccompanied minors lounge MOVING FROM HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO CITY There are several transport options for travelers moving from the airport to the city to pick from. The options are by bus, taxi, limousine, and shuttle bus. Travelers also have the option of using the car rental service. BUS Hamad International airport is in Doha, and is in the center of the city. Hence it is connected to several destinations across Doha?s city. Buses depart from the Bus Pavilion, located outside the passenger terminal (right side). To arrive there, passengers may follow the signs installed in the Arrivals hall.   Travelers must note the bus fare can only be paid with a Karwa Smartcard which is to be provided by the bus driver. There are two different options for the bus smartcards: limited or unlimited Karwa Smartcards. Karwa Smartcard - 24 Limited:?This bus card is valid for two trips (within Greater Doha). The two trips must not be consecutive, but they must be within 24 hours. It costs QAR 10 (USD 3). The Karwa Smartcard - 24 Unlimited:?This bus card is valid for unlimited trips (across Qatar) during a period of 24 hours after the first time to use it. It costs QAR 20 (USD 7).   Routes from Hamad airport: Route 109 - Last stop: Mesaieed Industrial Area Hamad International Airport - Labour Camp - New Airport South - Barwa Commercial Centre - Rus Abu Funtas - Al Adalah Street - Al Wakra Main Street - Al Razi Street - Pearl Roundabout - Majllis Al Taawon Street - Al Wakra Health Centre - Al Shahba - Kanari Turkey - Al Deoudla Street - Al Rawda Street - Al Wakra (South) - Al Janoub Street - Al Seleen Petrol Station - Umm Said Road - Alcat Project - Mesaieed Shopping Mall - Police Station - Mesaieed Camps - Mesaieed Industrial City. Route 747 - Last stop: Al Ghanim Bus Station Hamad International Airport - New Airport North - Ras Abu Aboud - Oasis Hotel - Doha Club - Rus Abu Aboud - Sana - National Library - A Ring Road - Grand Hamad Street - Al Ghanim Bus Station. TAXI Taxi cabs are located outside Arrivals hall. All taxis have a starting fare of QAR 25 and are metered (only Qatari Riyals are accepted to pay). To distance from Hamad International Airport to the city centre of Doha lasts 20 minutes approximately. Taxicab are operated by Mowasalat, a state-owned company. LIMOUSINES Limousine service is available from the airport to Doha. The service is operated by Mowasalat company and the kiosk is located just in the Arrivals hall. Passengers can pay with cash (Qatari Riyals) or credit card. SHUTTLE BUS Many of the local International hotel brands have free shuttle bus service to and from the airport. Passengers may ask to their hotel to notice if they have the service. CAR RENTAL Travelers who want to make personal trips can book online a car to drive around Doha city or through the country. Usually, most International driver?s permits are acceptable for a 7 day period. If traveler intends to make a longer trip, then the traveler must be sure to have an International Driving Permit. COST OF LIVING IN DOHA, QATAR AVERAGE COST OF ACCOMMODATION IN DOHA, QATAR

MONTHLY RENT
Two-bedroom apartment in Al Sadd	QAR 11,500
One-bedroom apartment in Doha	QAR 7,140
Two-bedroom apartment in West Bay	QAR 19,500
Two-bedroom apartment in the Pearl	QAR 18,000
Four-bedroom villa in Al Rayyan	QAR 25,000

AVERAGE COST OF FOOD AND DRINK IN DOHA, QATAR

ITEMS	AVERAGE COST
Average restaurant meal	QAR 100
Domestic beer (0.5 liters)	QAR 41.50
Average meal for two in a mid-range restaurant	QAR 200
Bottled Water (0.33-liter bottle)	QAR 1.36

  AVERAGE COST OF UTILITIES IN DOHA, QATAR

Mobile to mobile?call rate (per minute)	QAR 0.78
Internet (Uncapped ADSL or cable ? average per month)	QAR 370
Basic utilities (per month for standard household)	QAR 300

  FLIGHTS WITHIN THE VARIOUS AIRPORTS IN QATAR Qatar is a peninsula occupying approximately 11572.07 km sq. this means it is not a very large country. As a result of this, there is only one airport in Qatar, located in central Doha. There are no domestic flights in Hamad. Cities in Qatar can be accessed by road. INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TO AND FROM DOHA, QATAR

LOCATION	AIRLINES	?FLIGHT DURATION FROM QATAR
New York	Qatar Airways	13 hours, 52 minutes
Kuwait	Airways	1 hour, 11 minutes
Lagos	Qatar Airways	?7 hours, 20 minutes
London Heathrow	Qatar Airways	6 hours, 58 minutes
Dubai	Flydubai	1 hour
Cairo	EgyptAir	3 hours, 9 minutes
Johannesburg	Qatar Airways	8 hours, 15 minutes
Frankfurt- Germany	Lufthansa	6 hours, 9 minutes
Instanbul-Ataturk - Turkey	Turkish Airlines, Atlas Global	3 hour, 51 minutes
Addis Ababa - Ethiopia	Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines	3 hours, 18 minutes
Cape Town	Qatar Airways	9 hours, 44 minutes
Singapore	Qatar Airways	8 hours, 15 minutes
Mumbai	Jet Airways, IndiGo, Air India Express	?3 hours, 24 minutes

PEOPLE WHO LIKE QATAR ALSO LIKE Mumbai, Cairo, London, Dubai, Istanbul-Ataturk, Delhi, Kuwait, Frankfurt, Lagos, Munich, Casablanca, Damascus, New York, Moscow, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Jeddah, Muscat, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dar es Salaam, Clark, Colombo and a host of others WHAT VISITORS ENJOY IN THESE CITIES  

LOCATION	INTERESTING PLACES TO VISIT
Johannesburg ? South Africa	Apartheid Museum, Montecasino, Gold Reef City, Johannesburg Zoo, Botanical Garden
New York City	Central Park, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, Coney Island
Moscow - Russia	Red Square, Gorky Park, Moscow Kremlin, Pushkin Musuem, Alexander Garden
Dubai - UAE	Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall. Dubai Marina, Burj Al Ara, Plam Islands, Dubai Creek, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Fountain
Colombo ? Sri Lanka	?Galle Face Green, National Musuem Colombo, Beira Lake, National Zoological Garden
Frankfurt - Germany	Romer, Goethe House, Main Tower, Stadel, Frankurt Cathedral
Muscat ? Oman	Al Alam Palace, BAIT Al Zubair, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
Jeddah ? Saudi Arabia	King Fahd?s Fountain, Al shallai Theme Park, Ring Square

REVIEWS ON HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Travelers who have used the Hamad International Airport say it is very ideal, comfortable, and gives value for money. Travelers commend the Airport staff for being very cheerful and helpful. Travelers also refer to the airport as standard, easy to navigate, and comfortable. Travelers enjoy the free WI FI, and the facilities available for children's comfort, for praying, resting, eating and working out.