Hamad International Airport opened today in the Qatari capital of Doha, with a ceremonial Qatar Airways flight landing from Doha International Airport. National carrier Qatar Airways is scheduled to fully move into the airport on May 27.

The new airport cost about $15 billion to build, and Qatar plans to spend roughly $100 billion on upgrading its infrastructure in time for its hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the largest sports event on the planet.

Abdul Aziz Mohammad al-Noaimi, chairman the airport steering committee, called the new airport “a source of pride and joy” for all Qataris, and mentioned that it can presently accommodate 30 million passengers annually. In time, the facility might be able to serve up to 93 million passengers per year, which would make it the second largest airport in the region after Dubai International Airport.

“It will deliver a memorable experience to all passengers that will travel through its gates, an experience that reflects Qatar’s status and importance on the world travel and tourism map,” al-Noaimi added.

Here is a clip of a small tour of the Hamad terminal:

The @qatarairways ceremonial flight has landed at #HIA. @dohanews pic.twitter.com/qNnCFXBEC4

— Victoria Scott (@Toryscott) April 30, 2014

These VIPs are the first passengers to arrive at a Doha Airport and not need steps and a bus or car! pic.twitter.com/KsC9SBWB5k

— Victoria Scott (@Toryscott) April 30, 2014

@Toryscott Oryx lounge at the new airport.. I could smell freshness of a new beginning pic.twitter.com/3oj7DmamAA

— Shan Mathews (@Tweet2Shanmg) April 30, 2014

Congratulations to the people of #Qatar on the opening of #Hamad_International_Airport!

— U.S. Embassy Qatar (@USEmbassyQatar) April 30, 2014

In related news, The Qatar Museum Authority decided to buy a 16-foot tall statue of Zinedine Zidane infamously headbutting Marco Materazzi, for an untold sum in October, as a sort of “ode to defeat” World Cup ornament.

Oil-rich Qatar has been recently struggling to keep dibs on hosting the international soccer event. Aside from the classy headbutt statue acquisition, the country has been questioned by soccer federation FIFA about its use hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, in a situation similar to modern-day slavery. It’s been reported that over 40 Nepalese workers died last year, while building World Cup infrastructure.

Image via Twitter