News section
- Dubai unveils AED 5 Billion Aviation City
- Marbella train line to go underground
- Spanish Property Market still a good investment
- Areas near Dubai Metro in demand
- Burj Dubai sets global record with 120 levels
- Handover of first phase of Dubai Waterfront
- Dubai metro progressing
Dubai unveils AED 5 Billion Aviation City
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman, Dubai City of Aviation Corporation - Dubai World Central, launched the AED5 billion Dubai World Central (DWC) Aviation City. The DWC Aviation City, to be located within the newly built Al Maktoum International Airport, will incorporate the world's largest Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) centre.The Aviation City and the airport are part of the Dubai World Central (DWC) — the 140 square kilometre urban aviation, multi-phased development in Jebel Ali . DWC Aviation City, which is to commence operations in 2009, 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. Unveiling the project at the 10th edition of the Dubai Air Show 2007, Sheikh Ahmed said Aviation City's strategic location within the world's largest would give potential investors an advantage to reach regional and international clients alike. He said: “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.
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 A-380.” 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 6.7 square kilometres, is being designed as a one-stop centre for all aviation related operations. 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 component and parts supply. “These multiple zones will allow for several operations to be simultaneously functional at any given time,“ said 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 localized 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 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 12 million tonnes of cargo annually.
Marbella train line to go underground
The plans for the extension of the cercanias railway line from Fuengirola to Marbella are now near to completion and it has emerged that the connection to Los Monteros in Marbella and then to San Pedro will be around 80 per cent underground in order to minimalise the impact on the high density of construction in the area and road traffic flows.
The regional government’s Ministry of Public Works gave the go-ahead in June 2005 for the carrying out of the plans with an 18-month time frame. That period is now up and just the final touches need to be added before the plan is presented to the Andalucian authority. Once approved, the go-ahead is expected to be given by this summer for a scheme that will cost more than 1,100 million euros.
Not all the plan has been made public although it is known that the regional government started the process of inviting designs for the ten stations last month. It is also understood that the line will have two tracks and be to European standard width. The system will also be able to handle the AVE high-speed trains although it is understood that they will not travel at their full speed along this line. However it will mean that passengers will be able to board in Madrid and travel to Marbella without having to change.The regional government has stated that it intends the service to be operational three years from the time the works start. The connection between Fuengirola and Marbella will be around 21.2 kilometres, of which 18 kilometres will be via a tunnel that will end at the Los Monteros station close to the Hospital Costa del Sol. The final stretch between Los Monteros and San Pedro, around 14.5 kilometres will be totally underground.
Spanish Property Market still a good investment
Property in Spain still remains a solid investment, according to the latest figures from the Spanish Ministry of Housing. Average property prices nationwide increased by 2.9% in the second quarter of the year, and 10.8% in the 12 months to the end of June 2006.
Southern Spain again performed well, with prices in the Andalucía region increasing by an above average 11.1% and emerging hotspot Murcia showing a significant 8.7% rise over the year.
Areas near Dubai Metro in demand
Dubai property and land prices have gone up considerably along the route of the new metro line, explained a senior official.
I can't tell you how much in percentage but the areas along the Dubai Metro tracks especially near stations have become more expensive and we expect further increase in prices as the Metro work nears completion. "Sultan Butti Bin Mijrin, Director-General of the Dubai Land and Property Department, said.
Speaking to reporters yesterday after the press conference at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), he said there has been a gradual increase and not a sudden jump in prices.
Burj Dubai sets global record with 120 levels
Burj Dubai has set a new global record for having more floors than any building in the world. Currently, at 120 storeys and 422.5 metres high, the iconic building is also one of the five tallest structures in the world.
Height-wise, the Dubai’s iconic tower is now taller than the Empire State Building (381 metres) in New York City and the John Hancock Centre (344 metres) in Chicago, two of only five completed buildings in the world that have 100 storeys or more.
To date, 304,800 cubic metres of reinforced concrete and 59,200 tonnes of reinforcing steel have been used in the construction of Burj Dubai. When completed, Burj Dubai will be the tallest building in the world in all four categories recognized by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which compiles and ranks the world’s tallest buildings. CTBUH ranks buildings on the basis of spire height, the highest occupied floor, roof height and pinnacle height.
Burj Dubai forms the epicenter of Downtown Burj Dubai, an US$20 billion mixed-use project featuring residences, commercial space, hospitality projects and several retail outlets including The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations.
Handover of first phase of Dubai Waterfront
Dubai Waterfront - the world's largest waterfront development - has begun the handover of its first phase of development to investors.
The first phase is part of Madinat Al Arab, the planned urban downtown at the heart of Dubai Waterfront, a major waterfront city created by Nakheel on the western end of the coast of Dubai. The phase, consisting of more than 200 plots, over a number of different zones of land located on the beachfront near The Palm Jebel Ali, sold out for AED13 billion in five days in July 2005. The handover will be conducted over the next four months.
Nakheel has sold 70 per cent of the plots of the first phase, and will retain the remaining 30 per cent of land for its own developments.
Nakheel is the world's largest privately held real estate developer. It currently has a portfolio of 14 major developments, across a range of sectors, projected to be worth more than US$80 billion. Spreading across 2 billion sq ft of land, Nakheel's projects will add more than 1000 km of beachfront to Dubai's coastline.
Nakheel's portfolio currently includes The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali, The Palm Deira, The World, Dubai Waterfront, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, The Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Discovery Gardens, Lost City, International City and Arabian Canal.
Dubai metro progressing
The manufacturing of rolling stock (trains) for the Dubai Metro has commenced. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced said with five cars, three motorcars and two trailer cars, each train will be approximately 85 metres long, 2.78 metres wide and 3.86 metres high.
The Rail Agency said the completion of the first train manufacturing will be ready by October 2007 after which the train will be delivered to Dubai for testing and commissioning starting in March 2008.
The process of manufacturing one train set takes approximately 12 months and the sub systems fitted into each train are from various international reputed suppliers like Kinki Sharyo, Mitsubishi Electric, and Alcatel to name a few. Altogether 44 sets will be delivered for the Red Line on time to commence revenue service in September 2009.
The trains to be delivered to Dubai would have five Cars that can accommodate 643 passengers.
