Infrastructure and transport
Last Updated :
01 May 2012
To keep pace with the rapid industrialisation programme, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation plans to double the country's electricity and water distribution capacity within four years.
Qatar Airways signed a deal in September 2005 with Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer, for 60 A350 jet airliners worth $10.6 billion. The aim is to treble the fleet to 120 airliners by 2015 and also develop a global cargo service. Doha's new International Airport will be able to handle 50 million passengers by 2015.
A master plan is in design to expand Ras Laffan Port's capacity to handle 3,000 LNG ships and other carriers each year.
The Qatar Government recognises that education will increasingly be the key to business success. Already Qatar has set up local campuses in Doha in partnership with five American universities, including Cornell, Carnegie Mellon and Georgetown. Qatar Science & Technology Park provides facilities for companies such as EADS, Microsoft, Rolls Royce, Shell, and most recently GE.
On healthcare, Qatar has set aside $8 billion for research - the largest cash endowment of its kind anywhere in the world. It is also creating a $900 million completely digital hospital in Doha with Cornell.
Doha hosted the 2006 Asian Games in December 2006, and has developed state-of-the-art sporting facilities including the world's largest indoor sports dome which opened in November 2005. Doha also hosted the West-Asian Games at the beginning of December 2005.