Etihad Makes Shift To Qatar’s New Hamad Airport

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways has announced that the airline’s four daily passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to Qatari capital Doha will operate from the new Hamad International Airport (HIA) from May 14.

Freighter operations to the new airport will commence from May 18, the airline said in a statement.

The airline’s first flight to the new airport, EY 399, will depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport on Wednesday, May, at 02.40, and touch down at HIA an hour later. The return flight EY 390 departs Doha on the same day at 04.15, and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 06.15.

All Etihad Airways ticketing and check-in, gates, baggage services and customer service operations will be working out of Terminal 1 from May 14, the statement added.

Captain Richard Hill, Etihad Airways’ COO, said: “We believe moving our operations to the new state-of-the-art airport is a positive step which will offer our guests newer and more spacious facilities and enhance their travel experience flying in and out of Doha.”

Qatar’s much-delayed new Hamad International Airport opened at the end of April, and is initially designed to handle 29 million passengers annually. It will eventually be able to receive 50 million passengers a year, once operating at full capacity.

The new 600,000 sqm passenger terminal includes an upgraded range of facilities and services such as larger check-in areas and newly designed retail and dining outlets. Upgrades to the baggage handling system and security areas have also been made.

Earlier this week, Qatar Airways announced that it would be shifting operations to HIA on May 27, 2014.

Ten airlines are already flying in and out from the airport including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, flydubai, Air Arabia, Iran Air, Air India Express, Yemenia, Pakistan International Airlines, Syrian Airlines, Pegasus Airlines and Nepal Airlines.