Doha Days

We flew out of the new Doha airport today. This crumpled teddybear sculpture mirrors our feeling having had to wait an hour and a half to get airside. In the old airport we could do this in 15 minutes! The abstract below from Arabian Business News in December 2013 says it all.

Tomorrow's blip will show you where we flew to this evening!



Visitors passing through Doha’s Hamad International Airport will be treated to the sight of a $6.8m sculpture of a teddy bear when the facility finally opens for commercial flights at some point next year. Arabian Business understands that the installation, which has been bought by a member of Qatar’s royal family, is already in place at the airport.

The Urs Fischer sculpture, which weighs 35,000 pounds and stands 23 feet tall, was previously displayed in front of the Seagram Building on New York’s Park Avenue. The teddy bear was auctioned off at Christie’s New York for just over $6.8m earlier this year.

The outlay comes despite the fact that there is still no certainty as to the opening date of the new airport, which was originally due to open three years ago.