| H.H. opening speech at MEED |
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Good Morning Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to welcome all our distinguished visitors to Dubai. It is a matter of great pleasure to be associated with the MEED Congress 2002. This Congress endeavours to provide important information about the Middle East and the vast investment opportunities available in the energy, infrastructure and financial sectors. All those present here today can evaluate the information available here and invest in the future.
The UAE in general offers great investment scope in oil, gas and downstream sectors, power and water, real estate and infrastructure. As far as Dubai is concerned -- 'Dubai means business' this is the vision of our leaders. All of us here in Dubai take our lead from this and today from a small trading port, Dubai, has become the Middle East's fastest growing economy.The Government of Dubai has and is investing billions of dollars in projects such as 3 billion dollar Palm Island, the multi million dollar Madinat Jumeirah and the 2.5 billion dollar Dubai International Airport expansion. All of these projects are aimed towards sustaining economic dynamism, quality of life, regional co-operation and integration. |
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The liberal outlook and trade policies of the Government of Dubai have resulted in the rapidly increasing number of investors. Trade, transport, tourism, finance and manufacturing have all shown steady growth and helped the economy achieve a high degree of expansion and diversification.
While Dubai continues to grow and offer more in terms of business and leisure opportunities, the Dubai International Airport expansion programme is designed to complement this growth. With the completion of the 2.5 billion dollar second phase of expansion by 2006, the airport will have the capacity to handle 60 million passengers per year. This stresses upon the fact that the Government of Dubai has firm belief that Dubai is set to become one of the major commercial and leisure hubs not just in the region but in the world.
It is now that investors have the opportunity to lay claim to the success of Dubai in the coming years.
Once again I would like to welcome you all here and thank you for your attention. |
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H.H. opening for airport build conference, 2002
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Good morning Ladies and Gentleman
Welcome to Dubai. I am very pleased to be here today to inaugurate the Airport Build and Technology conference. Dubai, as we are all aware, has taken a lead role in the development of the aviation industry. This is further reinforced with the fact that such a distinguished gathering of delegates such as you have come to Dubai for discussions on a matter of vital importance to the aviation industry - to invest in the future.
Dubai International Airport has witnessed tremendous growth in the past decades in terms of passenger and cargo movement. We have 13.5 million passengers in 2001 and expect 15 million this year. According to projections we expect 30 million passengers by 2010. And yet, the statistics mean little unless there are landing fields to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers.
According to experts aircraft requirements in the coming decade will be to the tune of trillion dollars. While cargo fleets will get increasingly dedicated, tourism and charter flights will intensify. Aircraft such as the A380 and Sonic Cuisers will usher in a totally new era in the industry.
However, as airport operators we need to keep pace with the fast growing technology. None of these new aircraft will be much good unless airports are designed to handle them efficiently. Hence our task is not just difficult it is of vital importance. |
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Airports being built today are the airports of the future and need to be designed as such. An airport will be successful only if it has the flexibility to adapt, expand and absorb the upsurge in traffic.
There can be no second chance here. Airports are the most complex in terms of operations. A mistake in design, in choice of material, in vision and the failure to focus on the demands of passengers and airlines twenty years from today will result in disaster. To be successful any airport must be able to encompass multiple facilities and technological advancements. It cannot afford to compromise in one department and expect cosmetics to cover up its inadequacies. Consequently, it is important that we choose right the first time.
Whether it is taxiways and slots, whether it is the intermodal feeds into and out of the terminal, navigational aids, security or simply passenger amenities, how you build is based to what you build it with.
It is for us to decide where we will be in twenty years time. And we need to decide now.
I wish you a successful and informative day.
Thank you |
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| H.H. speech for airportXchange |
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Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a pleasure for me to announce that the Department of Civil Aviation is setting up a joint venture B2B portal with airportXchange of Malaysia. The new company will be call MAX - Middle East airportXchange - with the DCA holding 51% and airportXchange a 49% share.
The joint venture is very much in keeping with the Dubai Government initiative of e-government and e-commerce. This is a very important step for us as the first of our tenders for the 2nd phase of Dubai.
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International Airport expansion programme is now online. The tender is for the Mega Cargo Terminal project. The 2nd phase of the expansion programme costing US $ 1.4 bn will involve many big projects which will all be tendered online in the coming months.
The Department of Civil Aviation aims to simplify procedures for all suppliers and we would like to invite them to put in their bids online.
Thank you for your attention |
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| H.H. opening speech for Suppliers Forum |
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Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcome to the 3rd Annual DCA Suppliers' Forum. It gives me great pleasure to note that the DCA Suppliers' Forum has grown from strength to strength. Today we have over 600 companies attending this forum. Your presence proves to us that you are interested in responding to our efforts to offer the highest quality of service.
The Department of Civil Aviation strives to maintain the highest standards of service and facilities for its customers - the airlines and passengers. This is a challenge since customer requirements change as we develop our infrastructure in tune with the requirements of the 21st century. One of our key issues is moving towards e-commerce.
You, as suppliers are vital in achieving these high standards and represent the first ring in the quality chain. Our suppliers directly affect everything we offer to our customers.
The Department of Civil Aviation wishes to build useful relationships with all its suppliers and this forum has been organized to assist us both to understand each other better.
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I hope you will take this opportunity to voice your thoughts and requirements so that we can understand your needs and facilitate business between us.
The success of our relationship will be reflected in your understanding of our needs and your commitment to help DCA in offering its customers the highest quality in goods and services.
And, in turn, this forum is also a reflection of our commitment to you. To further promote this relationship between the suppliers and the Department of Civil Aviation, I am pleased to announce that starting with today's forum, we are introducing the DCA Distinguished Suppliers Awards, which will recognize a number of suppliers who have contributed to our success. These awards will be an annual feature of this forum.
We look forward to continuing a close relationship with all of you and I would like to wish you all a pleasant and successful day.
Thank you |
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