Bechtel to blame for Doha airport delay says Al Baker

Akbar Al Baker, the Qatar Airways CEO who is heading the new Hamad International Airport project, has pointed the finger of blame for the airport's soft opening delay firmly on the head of contractor Bechtel.
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Bechtel is the largest construction and engineering company in the United States and at the launch of Qatar Airways inaugural flight to Chicago this week Al Baker accused the company of being “complacent” in meeting “all the regulatory requirements” set by Qatar Airways and Civil Defence authority.

The airport was due to open to traffic on April 1 with up to ten carriers using the new Doha facilities but just hours before the inaugural flight the opening was called off with Qatar’s civil aviation authority citing a failure to meet civil defence safety standards.
Speaking in Chicago, Al Baker said he still believed the airport would be fully operational by the end of the year, as scheduled.
Bechtel said in an emailed statement, “We continue to work tirelessly with our customer, contractors, and the relevant agencies toward a successful opening of this world class airport.”
The opening of the $15.5 billion HIA, which used to be called the New Doha International Airport, has been delayed for four years, in part due to Qatar Airways’ aggressive growth.
When Al Baker announced the postponement of last year’s high-profile Dec. 12, 2012 launch date, he blamed Lindner Depa Interiors for failing to complete airport lounges on time.
According to sources in Doha, Qatar Airways has  filed a $600 million lawsuit against the company  which claims it was not able to meet its original completion deadline because it was denied full access to the project site for the first nine months of a 16-month contract.

 

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