Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (; born 1 January 1952) is a member of the ruling Al Thani Qatari royal family. He was the ruling Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013. The Qatari government now refers to him as His Highness the Father Emir. Hamad seized power in a bloodless palace "coup d'état" in 1995. During his 18-year rule, Qatar's natural gas production reached 77 million tonnes, making Qatar the richest country in the world per capita with the average income in the country US$86,440
Surat Thani International Airport Thai Airways Flight 261, an A310-200 (HS-TIA), bound for Surat Thani from Bangkok, was making its third landing attempt in heavy rain when it crashed into a rice paddy about from the airport; 101 of the 146 passengers and crew aboard were killed. Surat Thani International Airport Surat Thani International Airport () is in the Phunphin District, Surat Thani. The airport, 21 km west of Surat Thani, also is home to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) squadrons. Surat Thani has a single paved runway. As well as being a commercial facility, Surat Thani Airport is an active RTAF base,