Qatar will soon be launching the third phase of the newly-opened $15.5-billion Hamad international airport (HIA) in line with its plans to accommodate 50 million passengers by 2020, said a report.

Architects are finalising the designs for the final phase of the airport which would effectively increase the size of the passenger terminal by 50 per cent, enlarging it to roughly 900,000 sq m, reported the Doha News, citing a top official.

The project, which also includes plans to add 24 new airplane gates directly attached to the terminal, is scheduled to be completed within three years, said Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker.

This is in addition to the 22 existing “remote gates” on the tarmac that require buses to bring passengers to the terminal, he stated.

Al Baker said he expected British architect Sir Norman Foster to wrap up his work “over the next few months.”

The architect’s firm, Foster + Partners, also designed the new passenger terminal that is being built at Kuwait International Airport.

Once the design is set, construction firms would be invited to bid on the extension project, Al Baker added.