Making moves • Chapter summary

rguably at the heart of Dubai’s transformation over the last few decades is its ability to establish itself as a transport and logistics hub, enabling maritime, trade, tourism, and industrial segments. Indeed, for every USD100 of activity in the aviation sector, another USD72 is added to the economy; for every 100 jobs in aviation, 116 additional jobs are created elsewhere. In 2020, the sector is expected to contribute some USD53 billion to the economy.

And this is the main tenant around which Dubai South, the aviation-focused, master-planned city dubbed the “New Dubai,” operates. With its many components, including aerospace, logistics, energy, business, and residential aspects, His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Dubai are not simply building the largest airports in the world, but the aviation capital of the world.” Dubai South has been incredibly successful at building and attracting large aviation players, from Emirates Airlines to Dubai International Airport. The next step is doing the same for SMEs in the sector. Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, Khalifa Al Zaffin, in an exclusive TBY interview, revealed they are building the proper platform to support SMEs and their specific needs.

Dubai South is also home to Expo 2020 site, where mobility is one of the subthemes. In addition to aviation, on the list of the Emirate’s

Apriorities is advancing autonomous transport. Dubai’s Autonomous Transportation Strategy aims to transform 25% of all transportation in Dubai to autonomous mode by 2030. This is expected to bring AED22 billion in economic revenues, reduce transportation costs by 44%, cut environmental pollution by 12%, and increase productivity.

Surface Mobility, with its mission of helping the MENA region reach its transportation mobility goals through smart mobility and emerging technologies, is well versed in the challenges of autonomous transport. And, though Co-founder and Executive Director Abeel Alzaka is not sure how long the shift will take to reach critical mass, he knows Dubai is the leader pushing for autonomous vehicles.

Mobility solutions are also key for the logistics sector, particularly as e-commerce comes into play and a growing number of start-ups emerge ready to transform the logistics industry. What’s more, Logistics District, which is within Dubai South and led by CEO Mohsen Ahmad, has an answer for this: the world’s first free zone dedicated to e-commerce, EZ Dubai. Anchored by its worldclass seaport and airport infrastructure and aided by its geostrategic location, Dubai has established itself as a transshipment and multi-modal logistics hub to cater to the needs of increasing regional and global trade. ✖