As part of its preparation for FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar has announced an ambitious project to expand the Hamad International Airport. The preparations will ensure that the airport is ready to handle an expected 60 million passengers for the duration of the World Cup.
“The expansion project includes 11,720 square meters of retail and food and beverage space, a 10,000-square meter indoor tropical garden and a 268-square meter water feature,” CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker said on Tuesday as quoted by Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Earlier it had already been announced that the capacity of the airport would be increased to accommodate 53 million passengers a year by 2022 which is when Qatar is scheduled to host the FIFA World Cup.
Apart from handling more customers, the expanded airport will also have a new cargo terminal which will increase its cargo handling capacity to approximately 3.2 million tons a year by 2023.
Notably, the Hamad International Airport was opened in 2014 and is originally capable of handling 30 million passengers a year. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled from 21 November to 18 December.