Qatar Airways has moved to Doha's new Hamad International airport

On May 28, after many months of delays, Qatar Airways finally moved in to Doha's new airport, Hamad International Airport. The first flight to land was QR 1113 from Bahrain and later in the afternoon other flights landed from Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. Passengers were welcomed at the airport with roses, dates, coffee, chocolate and Qatari flags. Hamad International Airport, often abbreviated as HIA, is located only four kilometres from the old airport and 16 km from Doha city centre. The terminal building is 600,000 square metres with 41 gates, of which 6 are specially adapted for the forthcoming Qatar Airways Airbus A380, which is coming into service in mid-June. Further expansion is however, ongoing and will give the airport a total of 65 gates. The airport currently has capacity for 30 million passengers but this will later be expanded to 50 million when the the construction is completed. Qatar Airway’s lounges are not yet ready as there is still some delays with the interior. This has been confirmed to BusinessClass.co.uk by the Qatar Airways press office. The delay is expected to be just over two months, which means that the lounges aim to be open in late July. The general lounges at the airport however, are open, including the Oryx Lounge which offers a range of food and drinks, smoking room, business centre, a quiet area, computers and a games room. You can purchase access for 140 riyals. There will also be two hotels at the airport, soon to be opened, with "remarkable amenities". Information about what this means will be provided when everything is ready and the opening date is determined.

Departure hall in Doha Hamad International Airport  

The terminal from the outside