Dubai World Central has broken ground on the land allocated for the new airport’s Executive Terminal. The common-user facility is due for completion in time for Dubai Airshow 2015 next November. Jet Aviation, XJet and Jetex Flight Support have all agreed to share the building. Dubai’s other leading FBO ExecuJet Aviation has continued to express a preference for establishing a stand-alone facility, although this appears not to be an option that the DWC management will sanction.
“DWC is partnering with industry leaders to build a complete ecosystem for a world-class aerotropolis. The Executive Terminal is a step in the right direction,” said Rashed bu Qara’a, chief operating officer, Dubai Aviation City Corporation.
The DWC aviation district is a 6.7-sq-km (2.6 sq mi) zone situated adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport. DWC itself covers 145 sq km (56 sq mi). It will eventually host World Expo 2020, as well as cater to logistics, aviation, commercial, exhibition, humanitarian, residential and leisure-related activities.
“Providing integrated access to both land side and air side, DWC’s Aviation District enables the seamless functioning of fixed-based operations and is ideally placed to host a project of this magnitude,” bu Qara’a said.
Jet Aviation’s local FBO partner, Al Mulla Investment Group, expressed support for the announcement. “DWC has the ideal infrastructure, competitive pricing and the flexibility that we need to do business, especially with regards to technical stops, where flights from Europe land for technical checkups or for refueling purposes,” said Khaled Al Mulla, the group’s chairman.
“The Executive Terminal will complement the rapid growth of business aviation in the Middle East in general and Dubai in particular,” said Jetex CEO Adel Mardini. “Considering the geographical advantage that Dubai enjoys, I am confident that DWC will exceed all expectations for success and Jetex will play a significant role in the success.”
New Paint Shop
Yesterday at the MEBA show, DWC also signed a $40 million agreement with France’s STTS Group for a painting facility to be set up at the airport. STTS, headquartered in Toulouse, France, will invest in the multi-purpose facility to cater to narrow-body airlines, VIP aircraft and business jets. According to a DWC press release, “The business case could develop into a capacity to service wide-body aircraft, including the Airbus A380.”
“With this new partnership, DWC has come closer to its ambition of becoming the only hub outside North America and Europe to offer a complete ecosystem to the aviation and aerospace industry,” said bu Qara’a. “We are setting the stage to enable our partners to connect better with a flourishing regional market, and, by extension, to the global market.”