Hamad International Airport
Facts on DOH
Doha's Hamad International Airport, which opened in 2014, kept the code DOH from its predecessor, the aging Doha International Airport, even though it was named after former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani rather than the city.
Source: Wikipedia
The airport is named for Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who ruled Qatar as Emir from 1995 until his 2013 abdication, after seizing power from his father in a bloodless palace coup. He built Qatar's liquefied natural gas industry into a major exporter, founded the Al Jazeera news network in 1996, and secured Qatar's bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Source: Wikipedia
Planning for Doha's new airport began in 2003 and construction started in 2005, both while Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was still Emir of Qatar. By the time it finally opened in 2014 and took his name, he had already abdicated the previous year in favor of his son Tamim.
Source: Wikipedia
Travelers passing through Hamad International are greeted by 'Lamp Bear,' a 23-foot bronze teddy bear by Swiss artist Urs Fischer that weighs up to 20 tons and once stood outside New York's Seagram Building before moving to Doha.
Source: Hamad International Airport
Originally called New Doha International Airport, the project was scheduled to open in 2008 but was delayed six years by cost overruns and construction problems, finally opening on 30 April 2014 with a ceremonial Qatar Airways flight landing from the airport it replaced.
Source: Wikipedia
Hamad International was built with an 'oasis' theme: many of its buildings carry a water motif with wave-shaped roofs, and desert plants grow in recycled water across the 36-square-kilometer site, half of which sits on reclaimed land.
Source: Wikipedia
The airport's first runway measures 4,850 by 60 meters, making it one of the longest runways in the world and the longest in Western Asia; a second, parallel runway measuring 4,250 by 60 meters allows simultaneous takeoffs and landings.
Source: Wikipedia
In 2018, the airport installed a second major artwork, 'Small Lie' by American artist Kaws, a donation from Qatar Museums, to join the giant Lamp Bear sculpture already on display in the duty-free hall.
Source: Wikipedia
Completed around 2017, the airport's mosque has a mushroom-domed ceiling of aluminum and glass spanning 5,000 square meters, its shape inspired by a falling water droplet; the airport also has sixteen additional prayer rooms.
Source: Wikipedia
In 2024, Hamad International was named the 'World's Best Airport' by Skytrax; the following year it handled 54.3 million passengers, a 3% increase over 2024.
Source: Wikipedia