The Peninsula / By MOHAMMED SAEED DOHA: The New Doha International Airport will be ready by 2011 instead of 2015 as the first and second phases have been merged to cope with the fast growth in passenger traffic being witnessed by national carrier Qatar Airways. This was disclosed by Engineer Ali Al Abdullah, Director-General of Urban Planning at the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA). The existing airport, he said, will be restructured. According to him, a group of international consultancy firms have been appointed to conduct studies on how to develop and beautify the Corniche area. Al Bida locality, fishermen’s jetty along the Corniche and the New Doha Port will be part of the development (of the entire Corniche area). A 13-km long corniche will be built along the coastline in Al Wakra as well. “In fact, we have plans to develop and beautify the entire coastline of the country,” said Al Abdullah. Al Khor and Al Wakra towns are also being developed. Al Khor will soon become one of the major industrial cities with modern amenities so people working in the gas industry and living in Doha could shift there. This would save them a lot of travel time and inconvenience. Qatari Diar is conducting feasibility studies in Al Wakra for its development. A company will be formed later to carry out the development work. An under-sea tunnel has been planned that would link the New Doha International Airport to the towers area in West Bay. The proposed 12-km tunnel will open up between Doha Sheraton and Four Seasons hotels and will extend up to Hotel Inter-Continental.

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