Qatar Airways has plans to invest a huge $1bn on infrastructure expansion at the Doha International Airport to cope with a staggering increase in passenger traffic, fleet size and capacity until the new airport opens in 2012. The airline has also announced that over the next 10 months it will add six new routes to its burgeoning network: Goa and Amritsar in India, Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, and two European cities. The airport expansion plan includes the airline’s Premium Terminal for its first and business class passengers, Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker, has announced. At the existing airport a new transit facility is soon due to open at the eastern apron for passengers with flight connections in less than 60 minutes, which will further increase Doha’s competitiveness as a worldwide hub. Addressing a news conference on the sidelines of the Bahrain International Travel Expo (BITE) in Manama yesterday, Al Baker said the Premium Terminal at the Doha International Airport will have more than 80 percent extra seating space. This translates into an additional 250 seats to the current capacity of 320 following the opening next month of an extension to the dedicated business class section. In line with the upgraded seating area come more shower rooms, buffet and dining areas and an almost doubled duty free space. Qatar Airways has been exhibiting at BITE for the past three years. On show this year were the airline’s fully flat business class seats, currently deployed on its Boeing 777 long-haul fleet, which operates daily from Doha to New York, Houston, Washington DC, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangkok and other selected destinations. The airline was the Gold Sponsor of BITE and announced at the event its robust expansion and growth plans which reflected its bullish mood despite the current global economic climate. The airline earlier this month won several coveted awards in Dubai. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=May2009&file=Local_News2009051824116.xml

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