• Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, pictured under construction in May 2018. Reuters
    Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, pictured under construction in May 2018. Reuters
  • The airport, pictured in May 2019, is twice the size of London Heathrow. Reuters
    The airport, pictured in May 2019, is twice the size of London Heathrow. Reuters
  • It's designed like a starfish so the distance between concourses and entry points are minimised. It's pictured here in May 2019. Reuters.
    It's designed like a starfish so the distance between concourses and entry points are minimised. It's pictured here in May 2019. Reuters.
  • An aerial view of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport under construction on May 25, 2019. Getty Images
    An aerial view of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport under construction on May 25, 2019. Getty Images
  • An aerial view of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport on May 12, 2020. Getty Images
    An aerial view of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport on May 12, 2020. Getty Images
  • The airport's construction is now complete, Chinese state media says. Getty Images
    The airport's construction is now complete, Chinese state media says. Getty Images
  • The airport is known as a 'sponge' because it can store and recycle rainwater. Getty Images
    The airport is known as a 'sponge' because it can store and recycle rainwater. Getty Images

China completes new Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport – and it's double the size of Heathrow


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The coastal Chinese city of Qingdao is set for a major tourism boost after the completion of its sprawling new airport – which is twice the size of London's Heathrow.

According to Chinese state media, construction on Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport is now complete, but no opening date has been announced.

According to CNN, the airport has taken five years to build and comes at a cost of $5.8 billion (Dh21.3bn). It was built to replace the overrun Qingdao Liuting International Airport, which is the main airport in Shandong Province. It will enable the city to welcome 35 million arrivals by 2025. But that's only the start.

According to China's Xinhua News agency, in its second phase, two more runways will be added to increase that capacity to 60 million arrivals.

Located in China’s eastern Shandong province, Qingdao is known for its skyscrapers, parks and beaches, as well as being the birthplace of Tsingtao Brewery, a legacy of the city's German occupation.

Qingdao Jiaodong will be the city's first 4F-class airport – meaning it is big enough to accommodate the world's largest commercial aircraft, including A380s and Boeing 787s. This will position Qingdao as a new major transport hub for the northern Asian region.

It spans an area of 3,066 hectares – twice the size of London's Heathrow Airport, which is 1,227 hectares, according to CNN.

Shaped like a starfish, like Beijing's new Daxing International Airport, it offers five connected concourses.

It's also focused on environmentalism and sustainability. Qingdao Jiaodong has been dubbed a "sponge airport" due to its design, which absorbs and stores excess rainwater that can be recycled and reused when needed.

The new airport also features an ultra-thin stainless-steel roof that's just 0.5 millimetres thick – about the same as a piece of A4 paper. The roof, covering a total area of 223,000 square metres, is said to be the largest of its kind in the world.

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Company Profile

Company name: Fine Diner

Started: March, 2020

Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka

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Industry: Technology and food delivery

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Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register. 

4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope

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Generational responses to the pandemic

Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:

Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.

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Director: James Cameron

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