Hamad International Airport recently launched its expansion project. The expansion started in 2019, and phase I of this work has been completed as of November 10, 2022. With the new expansion, the airport can handle over 58 million passengers, just in time for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Qatar is expecting over 1.7 million visitors during the tournament period.
Commenting on the expansion, Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, said: “This expansion marks a major step in terms of advancement of tourism in Qatar through the Hamad International Airport, especially given the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. For years Hamad International Airport has continuously delivered on its promise to define elegance, style, and sustainability as befitting the leading airport of the world.
One of the main attractions of the newly expanded airport is the 6,000 sq meter indoor tropical garden located at the center of the terminal called the Orchard. The garden features a 575 square meter water feature which is an aquatic plant fitted into a sustainable bio pond, that will be the main tourist attraction at the airport. The unique design will allow the trees and plants to adapt to internal conditions and continuously grow throughout the life due to natural lighting. The forest boasts of an extensive flora of over 300 trees and more than 25,000 plants and shrubs sourced from sustainable global forests in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
The construction of the next phase will start by early 2023 and will further increase the airport capacity to accommodate 75 million passengers and two new concourses.