Holland Gulf Chamber of Commerce » airport

Jeddah airport project on schedule

jochemgeheniau — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 07:45:40 +0000

The construction of the King Abdul Aziz Airport Project is on schedule and will be completed by the end of next year, Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced Tuesday.
Following a tour of the project site, he said schedules were being maintained despite fewer workers because of the ongoing amnesty process. “A total of 30,000 workers including 1,250 engineers are working at the airport site,” he said.
He said 96 meters of the 135-meter air traffic control tower, the largest in the Middle East, was nearing completion. The airport lounges were also almost done, with work taking place on the interiors.
Prince Fahd said the glass facades of the building were being installed. There was also progress on the installation of a cooling system, baggage conveyor belt and power generators. In addition, a mosque with a capacity of 3,000 worshippers would soon be completed.
Prince Fahd said GACA was working closely with various government agencies and contractors to expedite the project, which would make the airport one of the largest and most advanced facilities in the region.
Construction on the existing King Abdulaziz International Airport ( KAIA ) started in 1974 and was inaugurated in 1981 with a royal terminal, Haj terminal and south and north terminals.
Since its opening, KAIA has seen a major growth in passenger traffic. KAIA is the second-busiest airport in the Middle East after Dubai in terms of passenger traffic.
Although it was originally designed to cater to 7 million passengers annually, it has been handling approximately 23 million passengers a year. KAIA alone accounts for 41 percent of the total air passenger traffic in the Kingdom. According to GACA statistics, KAIA has recorded a 16 percent increase in international passenger traffic and a 12 percent increase in Haj and Umrah flights.

Qatar plans to invest USD140bn in transport infrastructure

jochemgeheniau — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 10:16:32 +0000

A recent Deloitte report entitled ‘Insight into the Qatar construction market and opportunities for real estate developers’ examines the construction market in Qatar and assesses opportunities for real estate developers in the country. Having been selected to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 brought forth the opportunity for Qatar to position itself as a regional sporting hub. Qatar National Vision 2013 and programs such as Q2022 are focusing on leaving a legacy for Qatar in terms of football, infrastructure and economic development. The Deloitte report looks into the government’s strategy of promoting sustainable tourism with the purpose of attracting more tourists and visitors. Projects such as the Qatar-Bahrain causeway is an example of this strategy, as it will help drive regional tourist arrivals in Qatar. In terms of infrastructure, the Deloitte report examines Qatar’s plans to invest over $ 140 billion in transport infrastructure in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Plans to construct new roads and a metro system have been put forth in order to support the anticipated influx of football visitors in addition to the airport expansion, which is already under way. Deloitte experts expect this influx to also bring with it an increased demand for accommodation, with numerous worldwide chain hotels actively considering investments in the country. In fact, Qatar Tourism Authority plans to invest about $ 20 billion on tourism infrastructure as the number of tourist arrivals grows at a rate of 15.9 percent compounded annually, to reach 3.7 million by 2022. This growth also creates opportunities for the development of commercial units, such as various shopping malls around Qatar. Environmental sustainability has become a key item in the government’s agenda. One of the key goals for the Q2022 program is to improve environmental sustainability, not only limited to the event but also for the entire country. The Deloitte report suggests that the program may deliver a new environmental sustainability standard and improve nationwide awareness. It is evident that immense opportunities exist for developers in the region and beyond, due in part to the infrastructure requirements of the FIFA World Cup 2022, and also as part of realizing Qatar’s national vision. Jesdev Saggar, managing director, infrastructure and capital projects at Deloitte. Corporate Finance Ltd. commented: “With the world focused on Qatar’s every move, it is imperative that the local industry prepares itself for the plethora of international organizations that are ready to descend on Doha. Preparing for the competition is as important to everyone on the built environment, as it will be when the games start.” These findings are in line with the “GCC powers of construction: Meeting the challenges of delivering mega projects” report issued by Deloitte during May 2013. The fourth publication in its series and the only one of its kind among the financial services industry in the Middle East. The GCC Powers of Construction report highlights that the ingredients for capital projects could not be better in the GCC region as the I&CP (infrastructure and capital projects) market is growing rapidly with governments announcing projects across the Middle East region, utilizing trillions of petro-dollars over the coming years. According to this Deloitte report, clients’ increasing need for transparency, predictability and sustainability of what they spend provides contractors with an opportunity to reflect on how they can meet this by better operational performance, improved procurement, schedule management and cost reporting. The report highlights the case of Qatar, whereby Qatar was the third most active GCC construction market in 2012, with $ 10.4 billion worth of contracts awarded. Transport infrastructure dominated Qatar’s construction sector, with four of the five biggest contracts awarded for major transport projects. Hosting the FIFA 2022 World Cup should yield considerable contracts across the construction and infrastructure sectors. “With significant investment in major infrastructure programs increasing over the coming years across the GCC, contractors, consultants and clients alike need to rethink the way they engage each other if they are to truly realize the benefits each can bring to the process,” said Cynthia Corby, audit partner and leader of the construction industry for the Middle East. As to Qatar, Deloitte suggests that successful bidders will have to take into consideration a number of factors such as alignment with Qatar’s 2022 program strategic objectives, adherence to sustainability and health and safety standards, innovation, quality and with an overall focus on the legacy theme, which is embedded in the strategy for delivering the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Qatar plans Airport City

jochemgeheniau — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:32:44 +0000

Qatar is working on a “unique” project – a township that will create an interface between Doha city and the new Hamad International Airport and enhance commercial and business activities in the country.

The project, called Airport City, will come up on a 10sq km area and is targeted to be completed over a 30-year period. The masterplan has been conceived as a series of four “circular districts”, connected by what is called a “Green Spine”, running parallel to Hamad International Airport’s second runway. The four zones will be Business District, Aviation Campus, Logistics District and Residential District.

In the first 10 years of the 30-year masterplan (expected to be completed by 2022), substantial parts of the Business District and all of the Aviation Campus will be developed. The Aviation Campus will be traversed by a long podium, a symbolic entrance to the Airport City and the location of the headquarters for Qatar Airways and the Civil Aviation Authority. The Airport City concept is “targeted at optimised development of the transport hub of an airport and its surrounding airside and landside supporting functions,” Hamad International Airport said yesterday. The project, a clustered development, will have many green spaces that will interlink and together branch out to one large park across the full span of the site. The branches may take the form of walkways and promenades, wide boulevards, public parking and other outdoor amenities.

The Business District will be centred on a Terminal Complex that will contain a second terminal for the airport and a train station for Doha with metro and long distance rails. The terminal’s plaza, connecting air and ground transport, will be an intersection of the international and local traffic. “The project demonstrates Qatar’s tremendous potential and its unique approach to development, while also providing the flexibility required to support its inevitable future growth,” HIA said.

Qatar already plans to have a second terminal at the new Hamad International Airport in time for the FIFA World Cup and dedicate the first terminal to the use of national carrier Qatar Airways.

“It is part of our long-term vision. As we are hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, one of the commitments is to have another terminal. Once that’s ready we will move other airlines to the second terminal and dedicate the first one to Qatar Airways,” the Civil Aviation Authority chairman and managing director, HE Abdul Aziz al-Noaimi, told Gulf Times recently.