Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC) has announced the official launch of the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (formerly Aviation District) along with EZDubai, a 920,000-sq-m purpose-built e-commerce zone within Dubai South’s Logistics District.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub is home to a five-star VIP Terminal facility which hosts some of the world’s leading fixed base operators for private jets, including Falcon Aviation, Jetex and Jet Aviation, providing major business entities bespoke aviation services and seamless connectivity, and proximity advantages to the world’s largest airport in the making, the Al Maktoum International Airport, said the statement from DACC.

The launches were held in the presence of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and other senior officials.

These latest developments demonstrate the pace of growth within Dubai’s 145-sq-km flagship urban project, it stated.

With a total of Dh17 billion ($4.6 billion) of government and private sector investments, the Mohammad bin Rashid Aerospace Hub is designed to create an effective value chain for the aerospace sector and increase the GDP contribution of advanced industries to the emirate’s economic growth, said the statement.

The 6.7-sq-km Aerospace Hub comprises the commercial strip, maintenance and technical support, business aviation, education and R&D (research and development).

The Aerospace Hub has a dedicated education and R&D cluster aimed at building a comprehensive aviation campus where institutes can set up and optimise delivery of top-level learning programmes.

It is also home to the E2 Event and Exhibition Centre, a dedicated exhibition zone and permanent home of the Dubai Airshow and the Emirates Flight Academy, it added.

DACC and Dubai South executive chairman Khalifa Al Zaffin said: "It is an honour to unveil the hub in the presence of our leader Sheikh Mohammed, who continues to demonstrate his untiring support to the aviation sector and see his vision of growth and development and the future of Dubai turn into reality."

"With the aviation industry as one of the key growth industries, it is only fitting to name this incredibly important hub in his honour. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace 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," stated Al Zaffin.

Sheikh Mohammed also witnessed the launch of EZDubai which is set to unlock vast potentials in online commerce.

It provides a range of logistics facilities and business solutions designed for start-ups, small and SMEs, innovation labs and incubation centres to support local, regional and trans-continental businesses serving both business-to-business and end consumers, said the company in its statement.

With the massive growth of e-commerce in the GCC and Egypt expecting growth from $7 billion to $24 billion by 2022, EZDubai seeks to add a strong value to the sector by providing an efficient supply chain focused on structured regulatory framework, complete ecosystem, and the dual warehouse concept, it added.

The new e-commerce hub has six dedicated areas providing a total in excess of 550,000 sq m of leasable area for e-commerce and similar businesses intended as Last Mile Centers, E-Fulfillment Centers, Repair & Return Centers, Supply Centers, Business Blocks (shared buildings), and Business Blocks for Regional Headquarters.

Al Zaffin said: "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 services."

Dubai South is poised to become a smart and sustainable city, which will be preferred as the place to live, work and invest by at least one million people.

As an economic platform, it is the home of leading world events such as Expo 2020 and the Dubai Airshow, expected to provide at least 500,000 jobs and become an important hub for global trade and commerce.

"We are confident that initiating this project will pave the way not only for large fulfilment centres, but for small and medium enterprises to tap Dubai’s leading model of economic development and contribute to the emirate’s GDP," he added.-TradeArabia News Service