Dubai plans to establish the world’s largest maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre, it was revealed at the Dubai air show yesterday.
The centre will be part of the Dubai World Central Aviation City, one of the key developments within Dubai World Central (DWC), the 140km2 urban aviation, multi-phased development in Jebel Ali in Dubai.
Unveiling the final masterplan of DWC Aviation City, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman Dubai City of Aviation Corp – Dubai World Central said the strategic location within the world’s largest airport – Al Maktoum International Airport - will give potential investors an advantage to reach regional and international clients alike.
“Dubai’s aviation future is being driven by such projects which reflect the emirate’s strategic vision of transforming the region into a global hub for trade and commerce,” says Sheikh Ahmed.
“The MRO centre will be the world’s biggest in land area earmarked for development, and will be able to handle all types of aircraft from light jets to superjumbos such as the Airbus A380. The centre will be able to deliver safe airline operations and assure reliability and availability of customers’ fleet. DWC Aviation City will not only feature the MRO centre, but also repair and test as well as aircraft system and components installation facilities.”
DWC Aviation City, spread over 6.7km2, is being designed as a one-stop centre for all aviation-related operations.
“This DWC component will host all aviation manufacturing, MRO, aviation support services, design and consultancy, research and development, aviation training, product and parts, light manufacturing units and high-technology industries,” says Khalifa Al Zaffin, DWC’s executive chairman.
“When complete, DWC Aviation City will lead the region in aviation services, excellent quality infrastructure and hi-tech research. The project is set to create an innovative and unique business concept in the region by inviting all aviation-related businesses to be based within one location.”
Besides MRO facilities, DWC Aviation City will also feature a heliport zone, an educational and academic zone, an industrial zone and a hub for aircraft components and parts supply.
“These multiple zones will allow for several operations to be simultaneously functional at any given time,” says Abdulla Al Qurashi, CEO, DWC Aviation City.
“The heliport zone will contain a total of 17 helipads in addition to fuel, lighting and hangar facilities.
“The Academic Zone will host several aviation colleges and training centres which will offer aerospace and academic studies while the Industrial Zone will offer an integrated infrastructure and localised environmental control in one location available on ground.”
Individual developers will be given an opportunity to build their own hangars and facilities within a free zone area on long-term lease. Tenants will also be given air side and land side access to the adjacent Al Maktoum International Airport. This will provide direct access to tenants, reducing turnaround time and improving customer service.
Construction on DWC Aviation City has already commenced, with start of operations planned for 2009. Al Maktoum International Airport goes live with initial operations by end-2008 and has been designed to handle in excess of 120 million passengers and 12m tonnes of cargo annually.
Images from the Dubai air show 2007 ...
Source: FlightGlobal.com
