HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - Doha, Qatar

Bird's Eye View of the New HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Hamad International Airport – My “Trial Passenger” Experience

Travelers from around the world will soon experience the “State of the Art” airport facility in Doha as the new airport is about to unfold to the whole world very soon.  The New Doha International Airport (NDIA) or will soon be known to the public as the HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (HIA) will start its commercial flight this April.  The HIA is situated within next to the city of Doha with breathtaking road scenery toward the departure area, and has the longest runway second in the world today.

As any other airport, HIA need to do some test to see its preparedness, so public testing comes to the rescue.  The HIA management invited thousands of people from the member of the public to participate in its testing.  Yours truly has been invited as one of those lucky ones to experience it first.  So, to be able to do so, I leave from work for a day just to be in this historic occasion, so with most others I supposed as it was done on a Monday.

We came as early as 8:30am till around 1pm on the 18^th of March 2013.  As it was said at the orientation, we acted as normal passengers undergone the usual a traveler does in an airport, so does with the member of the official airport staff.  This process includes the departure and arrival kind of thing as usual.  I got the Qatar Airways Cairo flight while some of my colleagues got the Sharjah flight.  We cannot get so excited with that one anyway as there is no real plane to embark with to complete the journey, that was sad.  Not to mention that safety equipment they made us wear and that uncomfortable heavy helmet that literally ruined our hair!

After our very exhausting ordeal with the whole process, we finally come into the day’s end.  It was fun and unique experience though.  Only, the usual waiting was really killing as they also pretended that the flight is delayed and there is no other way but to wait.  Having to say all that, of course, we are so anticipating for a sumptuous meal right after, and to our dismay the food was of no special, nothing but a sandwich, a cupcake, some dates and beverage of no other choice… small bottled water!  I was expecting of at least a variety of beverages to quench our thirst after they laid us under the sun at the tarmac during that fire drill stage.  No doubt, their preparation in terms of security preparedness is excellent but they failed us on that entertainment value of the experience. 

Here are some of the limited photos we able to get as there is no picture taking allowed.  We just tried to take some pictures of the beautiful structure to our delight!

The beautiful roads and bridges toward the new airport

 

 at the orientation arrival lounge

at the fire drill

at arrival area.