Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai recently attended the unveiling ceremony of the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub and EZDubai, a new e-commerce zone in Dubai South.
Formerly called the Aviation District, the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub is worth $4.63 billion of government and private sector investments. Its 6.7 sqkm space includes a commercial strip, a maintenance and technical support, business aviation, education, and research and development facilities.
Aerospace Hub is designed to create an effective value chain for the aerospace sector and increase the gross domestic product (GDP) contribution of advanced industries to the emirate’s economic growth, according to a statement. Moreover, the it will be home to a five-star VIP terminal facility that hosts fixed base operators for private jets, including Falcon Aviation, JETEX and Jet Aviation.
Besides a terminal facility for private jets, it will also have a dedicated education and R&D cluster aimed at building a comprehensive campus where institutes can set-up and optimise learning programs. The Hub will also have a dedicated exhibition zone called the E2 Event and Exhibition Centre and will be the permanent home of the Dubai Airshow and the Emirates Flight Academy.
Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC) & Dubai South said that it was an honour to have the Dubai Ruler’s presence while unveiling the Aviation Hub.
“With the aviation industry as one of the key growth industries, it is only fitting to name this incredibly important hub in his honour,” he said. “The hub remains committed to elevating Dubai as the region’s aerospace capital by ensuring that we advance through excellence and deliver value that will benefit millions.”
The EZDubai, a 920,000 sqm purpose-built e-commerce zone within the Dubai South’s Logistic District was also unveiled at the same time. The statement said that the e-commerce zone provides a range of logistics facilities and business solutions designed for start-ups, SMEs, innovation labs and incubation centres to support local, regional and trans-continental businesses serving both business-to-business and end consumers.
“EZDubai is a pioneering effort by Dubai South to provide the local and regional e-commerce sector with a competitive platform that will boost further growth through a suitable business environment equipped with a range of high-quality infrastructure and supported by a facilitative regulatory framework, thereby enabling them to deliver faster delivery of products and service,” Al Zaffin commented.
He added that they are confident that initiating this project will pave the way for small and medium enterprises to tap Dubai’s leading model of economic development and contribute to the emirate’s GDP.
The e-commerce hub has six dedicated area providing more than 550,000 sqm of leasable area for e-commerce and similar businesses intended as last mile centres, e-fulfilment centres, repair and return centres, supply centres, business blocks (shared buildings), and business blocks for regional headquarters.
Dubai South is anticipated to become a smart and sustainable city, for at least one million people to live, work and invest. It will also be host to the Expo 2020 Dubai and he Dubai Airshow which is expected to provide at least 500,000 jobs and become an important hub for global trade and commerce, the statement added.