Official Says Dubai World Central Costs are Not Excessive for Bizav

MEBAA Convention News 2014

Dubai to see 16,400 business aviation movements in 2015, with 75 percent for thee expected to be at the new DWC airport.

While real estate and runway access are at a premium at DXB Airport, here at Dubai World Central (DWC) there is no lack of space for bizav. But is the price too high?

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By Peter Shaw-Smith • Contributor - Middle East

December 7, 2014

A senior official with Dubai World Central (DWC) has countered accusations that business aviation companies moving to the new airport are being asked to pay excessive fees. Tahnoon Saif, DWC’s vice president for aviation, told AIN the Dubai government had invested “billions” of dollars in business aviation facilities at DWC, and that if it were concerned solely with return on investment, tenant prices would have been 20 times higher.

Dubai Airports is coordinating plans for the move from Dubai International (DXB) to DWC. “They are reducing the slots for general aviation [at DXB], and by default offering [space] in DWC,” said Saif. “By 2017, forecasts are that 90 percent of operations will have moved to DWC. The remaining 10 percent at DXB will be for MRO [maintenance repair and overhaul] proposes.”

Saif said forecasts estimated that the number of general aviation movements in Dubai in total would rise to 16,000 to 17,000 movements in 2017. “The forecast for 2020 is for 21,000 movements.” He predicted that the transfer of bizav operations to DWC will take five more years to complete.

According to information provided by Dubai Airports, general aviation is expected to see a total of around 16,400 movements next year, 75 percent of them at DWC. According to Saif, the two Dubai airports will eventually have combined capacity for some 60,000 bizav movements.

“We have one common-user facility and we also have DC Aviation-Al Futtaim,” explained Saif. “There is no plan for [further] standalone operators. This plan was developed with the operators themselves. The preference is always to have your [own facility], but looking at value for money for operators, to attract them, we are offering something common, with full privacy for VIPs, direct access to the apron and ramp, and reducing the [need for office space] on the operators’ side, in terms of customs, police and immigration.” He added that decisions over further investments to provide maintenance repair and overhaul facilities at DWC will likely be taken in the first half of next year.