First QA flight to land at new airport early tomorrow

A Qatar Airways flight will be the first to formally land at the Hamad International Airport (HIA) early morning tomorrow, marking the launch of the soft operations of the ultra modern, multi-billion dollar facility.A ceremony to be held in this connection will be attended by Qatar Civil Aviation Authority chairman and managing director Abdul Aziz al-Noaimi and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker.Some 10 airlines that do not require lounge utilisation will move over to HIA from April 1.They are Air Arabia, Air India Express, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, flydubai, Iran Air, Nepal Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, RAK Airways, Syrian Air and Yemen Airways.There will be some 32 passenger flights departing daily from HIA, equating to 222 flights per week. Qatar Airways Group will manage and operate Hamad International Airport. National airline Qatar Airways will be the principal operator of flights from the new airport, but will move its entire operations from DIA to HIA only by the end of the year.All other airlines (19 as of now) will continue to use DIA until the full opening of HIA later this year. HIA said parking will be available in the short term car park located in front of the passenger terminal complex on the east side. Free shuttle buses will ply between Doha Airport and the new Hamad International Airport from April 1 for passengers who require to continue their journey.