Dubai: Dubai will showcase one of its biggest ventures, the Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC), at the Dubai Air Show 2009, which runs from Sunday to Thursday at the Airport Expo.
DACC, part of the government's vision to strengthen Dubai's position as a global aviation hub, will showcase to an audience of international industry stakeholders, current and future developments at Dubai World Central (DWC), a multi-phase development including DWC-Al Maktoum International, one of the world's largest greenfield airport developments.
The development will have six major components — Dubai Logistics City, Dubai Exhibition City, Dubai Aviation City, DWC-Al Maktoum International, Commercial City and Residential City, in addition to a golf course resort — creating the world's largest aviation community.
It will groom aviation talents and later help produce aircraft components that could potentially hook Dubai up to the global aircraft supply chain.
In his recent address to international investors at a conference, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, highlighted the importance of Dubai World Central's flagship project, the DWC-Al Maktoum International, to the city's long-term sustainable growth strategy.
"When completed, DWC-Al Maktoum International Airport will be the largest in the world," Shaikh Mohammad told the group, "with a capacity of 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of freight to be handled through it because it will be equipped to receive passengers and giant freight carriers."
Phase one of the DWC project will be launched in June next year, according to Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of DACC.
Phase one
This will include phase one completion of DWC-Al Maktoum International, with a capacity to serve 5 million passengers per year, Al Zaffin said, as well as over 600,000 tonnes cargo annually.
"Based on a multi-modal logistical hub, Dubai World Central is an integral component of the emirate's long-term vision of sustainable growth in the transport and logistics sector. Located halfway between the time zones of London and Hong Kong, people and goods can now travel non-stop from Dubai to the entire world, including reaching a market of 4 billion people within an eight-hour flight," he added.
"Further, Dubai Aviation City's unique investment and business opportunities brings significant benefits to the entire value chain of the global aviation industry, including aircraft manufacturers, executive aviation firms, maintenance, repair and overhaul centres and others. Housed within Dubai World Central, the most ambitious project in the history of the city, DACC aims to set new benchmarks for excellence in the region and across the globe. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to highlight significant developments at DWC to local and international stakeholders at the Dubai Air Show 2009," added Al Zaffin.
The Dubai Air Show is featuring 900 exhibitors from nearly 50 countries, and expects at least 50,000 visitors, an overall 10 per cent increase over the previous event in 2007.
The event is organised by F&E Aerospace in conjunction with Dubai Airports and the Government of Dubai in collaboration with the UAE Armed Forces.
World's biggest
- DWC-Al Maktoum International Airport will be the world's biggest and when completed it will annually handle 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo.
- With six runways, six concourses and two terminals, the airport will be at the heart of a new 140-square kilometre city
- Phase 1 is expected to be completed by June 2010.
- With the completion of Phase 1, the DWC-Al Maktoum International will have the capacity to serve 5 million passengers annually as well as 600,000 tonnes of cargo.
