What makes HIA the best airport?
Hamad International Airport (HIA), located in Qatar, is considered to be one of the best airports in the world. So, what makes HIA special and why has it been able to build and maintain such an excellent reputation? We answer this and more below.
HIA was officially opened in April 2014 with a ceremonial flight from Doha International. The first flight was completed by a Qatar Airways aircraft and 10 other airlines began operating in the airport. The opening of HIA was significant as it replaced Doha International at the principal airport in Qatar.
How was it built?
Planning for the airport began in 2003, and the blueprint for a 5,500-acre airport was established. Construction eventually began in 2005, but tweaks to the original design were made throughout the construction project. For example, the original airport had a proposed capacity of 29 million passengers, but by the completion of the project, the airport could handle 50 million passengers per year. Some experts even theorize that the airport could technically handle 93 million passengers per year, making it the 2nd largest airport in the region. The airport was designed and built with a calming oasis theme and utilized many eco-friendly features such as desert plants growing in recycled water. The wave style buildings that make up the airport make HIA one of the most visually interesting airports in the world.
Interesting travel facts about HIA
• Every year, over 360,000 flights take off from HIA
• Every hour, the airport has the capacity to see 100 take-off and landing procedures. This is equal to five planes landing or taking off every 3 minutes.
• The passenger building is 600,00 square meters, making it the largest building in Qatar.
• There are currently 138 check-in counters in the airport, 14 of which are private booths for first-class passengers.
• The world’s largest maintenance hangar can be found in HIA and can handle 13 aircraft at once.
• Over 5000 bags an hour are handled in the HIA baggage system, equal to around 120,000 per day.
• This is the world’s first airport to ever be specifically designed for A380 use.
• HIA is home to Qatar Airways, which is considered one of the leading airlines in the world.
The important role of Bayanat Engineering
Bayanat Engineering worked extensively with HIA to help them develop their air traffic management systems, terminals, and a wide range of elite security solutions. During this collaboration, Bayanat Engineering worked with airport authorities, navigation services, civil authorities, and military defense, extending their services to all areas and departments within the airport. Bayanat Engineering utilized their experience and expertise in navigation, surveillance, weather management, and air traffic management to help create innovative, concrete solutions to everyday airport issues. These solutions have allowed HIA to maintain its exceptionally high reputation.
Contact Bayanat Engineering
If you would like to learn more about our work with HIA, or you are interested to learn more about the airport in general, do not hesitate to contact Bayanat Engineering today. An expert member of our team would be happy to answer any aviation questions you may have and discuss our expert services in more detail.
Meteorology
Bayanat Engineering is more than just a provider of air traffic management systems – we also offer thorough and reliable meteorology solutions spanning a range of systems and tools. But what are some interesting facts and statistics about meteorology? Read on to find out more.
Where did the practice of meteorology come from?
Though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the origins of meteorology lie in history, many attribute its beginnings to Aristotle, who wrote about metrology way back in 350BC. Of course, meteorology as a science has come a long way since then!
What can meteorology be used for?
Meteorology is a key component within many sectors. The main sectors that incorporate meteorology into their daily workings include aviation, marine, oil and gas, and military – but they all use meteorological tools in different ways!
For instance, the aviation industry will employ the use of runway visual range (RVR) systems to ensure a clear and safe landing strip for the pilot to land their aircraft. The RVR is calculated using transmissometers, which are a piece of equipment installed along runways to determine the visual range left until the aircraft’s landing point.
Did you know: RVR calculations were initially all done by humans alone, without the assistance of technology. That’s an aircraft we wouldn’t like to be on!
What about oil and gas?
The oil and gas procurement industry is an unpredictable and dangerous one at the best of times. Working anywhere from the middle of the ocean to deep under the ground, sudden changes in weather conditions or harsh weather phenomena can impact the harvesting of oil and gas and endanger workers.
That’s where meteorology comes in – using equipment such as automated weather observing systems (AWOS) and weather decision support systems (WDSS), oil and gas companies can constantly monitor the weather and change their working strategies accordingly.
How is meteorology useful for the military?
At first, you might not think that the military has much use for meteorology. After all, surely their money is better suited to weaponry, defense, and training up their personnel, right? Think Again! Meteorology is used there too! Navy and Marine, as well as the Military Aviation, depend on the meteorology aspects, thus it is important to monitor it at all times!
Bayanat Engineering Qatar is a leading solution provider for Meteorology, we believe in trust and hard work with exceptional delivery of our work!
Surveillance
For the aviation, military and mining industry, there is no room for error. If a security breach or potential problem is missed by a surveillance system, the potential consequences could be catastrophic. Below, we outline some surveillance measures that should take place at airports, marine/oil/gas mining locations and military/aviation bases.
• Surface Movement Guidance & Control Systems (ASMGCS)
This system provides both surveillance and guidance for aircraft vehicles. This is an essential technology to ensure aircraft can fly and plan routes safely as it controls the declared surface movement rate of aircraft under all weather conditions.
• Multi-lateration systems (MLAT/WAM)
To effectively manage the approach of aircraft, WAM technology delivers effective surveillance of surface movement, wide-area surveillance and the terminal area.
• Surface Movement Radars(SMR/GMR)
For an airport, traditional ground movement radars are not enough to ensure a location is secure and can be managed effectively. Surface movement radars ensure aircraft and vehicles on the ground can be detected, even in adverse weather conditions.
• Primary & Secondary Surveillance Radars (PSR/MSSR)
Primary and secondary radars work together to provide elite surveillance. A primary radar system transmits a radar pulse, whilst a secondary system requires an airborne transponder. These systems in unison ensure that even in adverse weather conditions, planes can be seen effectively.
• Automatic Dependent Surveillance Technologies (ADS-B/TIS-B)
ADST determines the position of an aircraft via satellite, helping aircraft to navigate safely and ensuing the entire airport has a periodical understanding of the position of planes. This ensures potential collisions are avoided and runway schedules can be maintained and organized efficiently.
• Runway Debris Monitoring System (RDMS)
Debris and other obstructions can easily fall onto a runway, even in pleasant weather conditions. RDMS eliminates the possibility of accidents or unforeseen delays being caused by debris on a runway.
• Runway/Airside Surveillance (CCTV based)
Often individuals with malicious intent can try to access an airport or aircraft via an unsupervised runway. An effective CCTV system will ensure thorough surveillance is maintained at an airport at all times to ensure the lives of the crew and passengers are kept safe and protected.
• Drone Detection Systems
A threat that has recently immerged for airports is drones. Although the majority of drones are small in size, they can cause serious havoc to an airport or facility with tight security. Drones can not only confuse and disrupt airport sensors; they can allow individuals with malicious intent to gather classified information about the layout of a facility.
Surveillance in Qatar
If you require surveillance at an airport in Qatar, or at another location, you can trust Bayanat Engineering Qatar. We are the best provider of surveillance solutions in Qatar and can help you deploy any of the above technologies. We don’t just offer one-size-fits-all solutions, we carefully analyse your business, premises and location and develop surveillance solutions that will help you to operate as safely and efficiently as possible. For more information about who Bayanat Engineering Qatar is and how we can help you, do not hesitate to get in touch with us today.
Navigation
Navigation is a crucial part of many sectors, whether it be aviation, marine, oil and gas, or military. There are many instruments involved in the navigation process, all of which need to work in harmony together to ensure an optimal path is established.
Here at Bayanat Engineering Qatar, we provide reliable and professional navigation equipment for all of the above sectors and more, with a variety of navigation unit and equipment choices. There are four general categories of navigation – marine navigation, land navigation, aeronautic navigation, and space navigation.
If you’re wondering how different industries benefit from navigation services, and how Qatar especially needs excellent navigation tools, read on.
What were the first navigation tools?
Though we now see navigation as a highly technological practice that requires the use of dedicated systems and equipment, that wasn’t always the case. The early navigational solutions were actually simple primitive charts and interpreting the direction and position of the sun, moon, and stars.
When tools were introduced, they started out as simplistic items such as compasses, calipers, maps, and astrolabes – nothing like the complex equipment used now!
How do navigation systems benefit various industries?
There are many industries that benefit from having accurate navigational instructions. As mentioned previously, some of the main sectors that take full advantage of navigation systems like the ones offered by Bayanat Engineering Qatar include the aviation industry, the oil and gas industry, and the military.
For instance, the aviation industry requires only the most precise and reliable navigation systems available; anything less
What about the military?
Two particular aspects of the military are extra-reliant upon accurate navigational systems. One of these is the air force. If pilots are flying over wide deserts and beautiful vistas, it can often be hard to know exactly where your aircraft is. Town and villages all blur into one, so having accurate navigational systems can be vital to knowing where you need to land or target.
Our solutions include, but not limited to:
• Instrument Landing Systems – ILS (Glidepath
Localizer (center – left/right), Markers (location lengths landing – beep sound))
• Distance Measuring Equipment(DME – Landing and En-route) (more precise continuity distance – short)
• DVOR (Doppler VHF Omni Range)
• TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation)
• Non Directional Beacon (NDB)
• VHF Direction Finder (VDF)
• Satellite based Navigation Systems (GBAS/SBAS) (back up to the ground system in case of failure)
• Visual Guidance Docking System (VDGS) (parking bay- to help park the plane)
Bayanat Engineering Qatar is always ready to deliver best solutions for the industry and deliver the best results possible, we always strive to achieve great results for our customer’s full satisfaction.
Communication
Communication is key to hundreds of individual industries, and it’s easy to see why. Without communicating, people can’t work together and see the sheer benefits of collaboration. If you’ve ever wondered how some of Qatar’s key industries benefit from advances in communications technology such as those on offer using Bayanat Engineering Qatar’s communications solutions, read on.
What does communication do for airports?
Communication is key to the day to day function of any airport. From radio to radar, information being sent from plane to airport and back again guarantees that everything can run smoothly, with planes sent to the right runways at the right times to keep airports running like the well-oiled machines they are. The listening range of any airport is 6-10 miles, meaning that any planes within this reach can easily react to the needs of an airport and let them know if there are likely to be any issues with the landing.
How about the marine sector?
The marine sector is often seen as a far simpler part of trading than airports. After all, ships can only travel in two dimensions, so they seem naturally simpler from the very start. However, the sheer volume of marine traffic could make shipping lanes incredibly hectic if not for the significant communications between ships. For example, the busiest shipping lanes in the world can see millions of ships go through them every year. If these communications were to break down you could see thousands of crashes with many lives lost, so communications technology like that supplied by Bayanat is vital to the continued success of marine shipping.
How do oil and gas use communications?
Although communications themselves are less prominent in the world of oil and gas, technology relating to radio is key. Radar can be used to scan the ground in order to find irregularities such as oil and gas fields, with radio being used afterward to coordinate a response. Whilst communications may not seem to be a vital part of the oil and gas industry, they play a significant role.
Do the military benefit from communication technology?
The military often undergoes highly complex operations, reliant on coordination between not only fellow squad members but different military forces and branches. For example, warships may often have to communicate with a multi-purpose fighter to establish the location of a target. Military jets actually communicate with each other by sending out radio signals of a particular frequency to let their allies know not to shoot them down. Without radio, warfare would potentially descend into friendly fire and chaos. Air-to-air, air-to-ground and ground-to-ground communications are all keys to keeping order.
Surveillance in Qatar
In order to ensure that their countries remain secure, they often need a strong level of both domestic and international surveillance. This surveillance relies almost entirely on communications solutions, with radio being required to pick up relevant audio and transfer it from department to department to ensure safe enforcement of surveillance policies.
For this, trust Bayanat Engineering. We deliver world-class engineering solutions, including communication and surveillance, to a variety of top-end companies in Qatar. Contact us today to get started.
CCTV
CCTV and its technology advancement: How it helps us in everyday life
CCTV, or closed-circuit television, is today one of the most commonly used security systems in the world. CCTV systems allow the capture and recording of footage so that business premises, homes, and storage facilities can be monitored for trespassers, burglars, fires, and other potential security risks.
Today, Qatar’s CCTV market is among the fastest-growing in the Middle East, in part because of the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup. According to forecasts, Qatar’s CCTV market is expected to grow by 14% between 2016 and 2021
Many people don’t realise how ubiquitous CCTV is in the modern world. From shopping malls to football stadiums to private homes, CCTV is all around us. Let’s take a look at how far we’ve come, and just big of a role CCTV technology plays in everyday modern life.
How CCTV technology has advanced
The origins of CCTV technology date back to 1942 in Germany, when Walter Bruch designed a primitive CCTV system to monitor V-2 rockets. Early CCTV systems like this one only allowed live monitoring, and it wasn’t until the 1970s when VCRs became available that recording CCTV footage became an affordable and realistic option for most users.
Another leap forwards was made in the 1980s, when multiplexing became possible. Multiplexing allows multiple CCTV cameras to feed into one monitor and record onto a single tape, making it much easier for large numbers of CCTV cameras to be monitored at a single source.
More recently, of course, the digital revolution has also played its part in transforming CCTV technology. Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) make recording and storing CCTV footage simpler and more efficient, and today even small businesses and residential homes can quickly and cost-effectively set up and run their own CCTV systems.
Today, NVRs, or Network Video Recorders, make remote viewing of CCTV cameras at other sites easier and better quality, so security staff don’t even need to be onsite any more to closely monitor CCTV.
How do we use CCTV today?
Most people don’t think about CCTV on a daily basis, and they certainly don’t realise the part it plays in everyday life. Already, many large business premises including hotels, shopping malls, and stadiums have their own complex CCTV systems, and they are becoming increasingly common in private homes, too.
In some countries, CCTV is even more common; in the US, there are 15.28 CCTV cameras for every 100 individuals, and countries including Qatar are no doubt heading in the same direction.
While some people might dislike the idea of CCTV capturing their every move, for most people it will prove to be positive in the long run. CCTV can help to maintain public order, prevent crime and antisocial behavior, and provide evidence in cases where crimes have been caught on camera. In the long term, the more CCTV cameras an area has, the more economic growth can occur, because crime rates decrease.
There are also a huge number of commercial uses for CCTV cameras outside of traditional security and crime prevention. CCTV is often used today on runways and in airports to detect foreign objects before takeoff and landing. Foreign objects like debris, plastic bags, shells, and even wildlife can cause serious incidents on the runway, and CCTV provides a simple way to monitor these locations from the comfort and safety of an office. At Bayanat Engineering Qatar, we provide these solutions and more to the aeronautics and aerospace industry, helping keep aircraft, personnel and passengers safe.
Meteorology
Bayanat Engineering is more than just a provider of air traffic management systems – we also offer thorough and reliable meteorology solutions spanning a range of systems and tools.
Here’s a quick outline of the meteorology equipment that Bayanat can install in major airports.
Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS)
One of the oldest types of automated weather monitoring units, AWOS units most commonly report the latest weather updates in 20-minute intervals. This is ideal for airports that need regular and reliable weather reports to ensure optimal flying conditions for every flight.
AWOS systems are fully configurable to specific needs, and can include any number of the following measurements:
– Barometric pressure
– Wind speed, gust, and direction
– Visibility
– Identification of precipitation (e.g drizzle, snow, rain)
– Sky condition, including cloud ceiling height
Meteorological sensors
Meteorological sensors are most typically deployed on buoys, though they are also commonly set up on towers and across runways. Like AWOSs, meteorological sensors accurately measure a variety of weather conditions and other aviation affecting factors.
At Bayanat, we install meteorological sensors that measure the following:
– Wind
– Barometric pressure
– Temperature
– Humidity
– Cloud ceiling height
– Precipitation
– Solar radiation
Runway Visual Range (RVR)
Another piece of crucial airport equipment that Bayanat offers installation of is transmissometers, which are installed at the side of the runway to allow for the measurement of the runway visual range (RVR).
Transmissometers are a modern method of RVR calculation, as traditionally this was done through human observation alone. Transmissometers are better, however, as they allow for more precise and reliable measurements not dependent on the eyesight quality of a worker. This guarantees a safer and more guided landing for pilots.
MET Forecasting/Visualization Systems
MET forecasting is another essential cog that keeps airport business moving smoothly. By forecasting the weather through visualization systems such as the ones offered by Bayanat, airports can ensure that they can anticipate any weather issues with maximum efficiency and warning time.
These are the same MET forecasting systems used by weather reporters.
Weather RADARs
Also known as a Doppler weather radar or weather surveillance radar (WSR), weather radars are used specifically to track precipitation, including its type (snow, rain, etc), motion, and intensity. Modern weather radars, in particular, are incredibly useful, as they not only measure current rain but can also award experts foresight, giving the ability to preempt intense and potentially disruptive precipitation.
LiDAR (Wind shear/Wake Vortex Measurement)
Standing for Light Detection and Ranging, LiDAR is a method that allows for the measurement of distances across the earth, most specifically it’s surface characteristics including wind shear. Wind shear can significantly affect the flight quality and path of aircraft, so trusting Bayanat to install LiDAR monitoring equipment could be invaluable.
Lightning detection systems
Bayanat’s lightning detection systems are some of the most advanced and reliable units on the market. Measuring down to the exact discharge location and the polarity, strength, and lightning parameters, airports will receive highly detailed and precise data during every storm.
Radiometers
Used for the thermodynamic profiling of energy, radiometers are devices that measure and monitor the flux of electromagnetic radiation. Specifically, radiometers quantify invisible types of light, including infrared and UV, helping to widen the range of data on the light spectrum.
Radiosonde
Usually carried into the atmosphere via weather balloon, radiosondes are remote weather telemetry systems that measure a range of weather parameters and transmit the data to a control base back on earth. This is ideal for airports as they can glean an accurate report of the environment up in the air, including checking for ideal flight conditions and preempting any problematic conditions.
Weather Decision Support Systems
For holistic weather decision support, any airport should invest in a weather decision support system (WDSS) offered by Bayanat. WDSSs take all data attained by the above equipment and utilize
it to predict and detect any change in the weather, including rare phenomena.
For the installation of meteorology units and equipment in airports across the Middle East, trust Bayanat to do it for you.
Air Traffic Management
