Emirates to build $40m vertical farm

TO BE COMPLETED IN A YEAR IN DUBAI, FACILITY WILL HAVE AN OUTPUT EQUIVALENT TO 900 ACRES OF FARMLAND

Emirates airline is building a multimilliondollar vertical farming complex in Dubai to bolster its in-house food supply chain needed to prepare 225,000 meals served every day on global flights.

The airline’s flight-catering arm announced yesterday that it is sinking $40 million in a joint venture to construct what it calls the “world’s largest vertical farming facility” in the desert near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central.

As many as 11,000 employees work for Emirates Flight Catering.

Construction is slated to begin in November and be completed sometime in mid-2019.

Foods produced at the vertical farm will be served to Emirates Flight Catering’s customers, including 105 airlines and 25 airport lounges, by December 2019.

The catering firm said it is partnering with Americanbased Crop One Holdings which describes itself as a vertical farm operator.

In a statement, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and Group, said the new project “is an important milestone for the Emirates Group, for Dubai, and for the UAE. This investment to build and operate the world’s largest vertical farming facility aligns with the UAE’s drive for more agricultural selfsufficiency ... The introduction of ground-breaking technology at the facility also enhances Dubai’s position as a global innovation hub.”

The vertical farm will cover 130,000 square feet and “have a production output equivalent to 900 acres of farmland. At full production, the facility will harvest three US tonnes (2,700kg) of high-quality, herbicide-free and pesticide-free leafy greens daily, using 99 per cent less water than outdoor fields,” the firm said.

One of the advantages of growing its own food is that the locally sourced food is close to the firm’s kitchens and will reduce transportation emissions which reduces greenhouse gases.

Saeed Mohammad, CEO of Emirates Flight Catering, said ■ creating a stable food source will greatly benefit the airline.

“As one of the world’s largest airline catering operations, Emirates Flight Catering constantly looks at innovation, and ways to improve our productivity, product and service quality. Introducing the latest technology to our operations, we secure our own supply chain of high quality and locallysourced fresh vegetables, while significantly reducing our environmental footprint,” he said.

Sonia Lo, CEO of Crop One Holdings said in a statement: “We are farmers using the most sophisticated plant science and proven business efficiencies to provide market leading consumer products every day.”

of pesticide-free food to be produced by the farm daily

less water will be used by the farm than outdoor fields

are being served by Emirates Flight Catering

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Courtesy: Emirates Flight Catering The state-of-the-art facility will cover 130,000 square feet and will harvest 2,700kg of herbicide-free and pesticide-free leafy greens daily at full production.

Courtesy: Emirates Flight Catering Saeed Mohammad and Sonia Lo shake hands after signing the partnership agreement between Emirates Flight Catering and Crop One Holdings.