Qatar delays new airport opening
The scheduled opening yesterday of Qatar’s new international airport in Doha was indefinitely postponed after it failed to meet security standards.
The head of Qatar’s civil aviation authority said that the delay was due to Hamad International Airport "not meeting the newly introduced safety and security requirements of the civil defence department".
The statement came just hours before the scheduled inaugural flight from Hamad International Airport.
The airport gave no details on possible shortcomings in meeting new safety measures set by the Qatari civil defence.
Qatar has undertaken a blanket review of all safety systems in public places since a mall fire last year killed 19 people.
Built at a cost of USD15 billion, the airport will have an initial capacity to handle 30 million passengers per year, rising to 50 million by the time work finishes in 2020.
No new timeframe for the airport’s opening has been given.
By Ian Jarrett, TravelMole Asia
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