Dubai – MENA Herald: Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZ) has announced that General Electric Aviation (GE Aviation), one of the world’s leading aircraft engine manufacturers, recently opened a first of its kind ‘Middle East Aviation Technology Center’ in the Freezone to meet the growing demands of the Middle East’s burgeoning aviation industry. The official opening of the new center was announced during Dubai Airshow 2015 in the presence of Dr. Mohammed Al Zarouni, Director General of DAFZ, Samer Al Jabari, Executive Director of the Middle East Aviation Technology Center of GE Aviation, and other senior executives from both sides.
GE Aviation’s newly opened regional center affirms the high level of confidence among leading international and multinational aviation and aerospace companies in DAFZ. It also reflects the strong momentum of GE Aviation’s efforts to provide outstanding services to its regional dealers. The US-based company will capitalize on DAFZ’s strategic location, tax exemptions, comprehensive services and world-class facilities as well as integrated portfolio of logistics facilities and cutting-edge ‘smart’ solutions.
The Middle East Aviation Technology Center will support customer operations by leveraging data analytics, domain experience and software capabilities to enhance productivity and performance while minimizing downtime for users of Predix, a cloud-based software platform for all of GE’s Industrial Internet applications.
Moreover, the Center will maximize the service level for GE systems and engines, act as a regional customer and product support hub, and support data scientists, user experience designers, and application developers in helping customers use the Predix platform to effectively address business challenges.
Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, said: “DAFZ ranks aviation among its core serviced sectors and has established the necessary infrastructure, facilities, manpower and services to ensure its sustained growth. Dubai counts this industry among its main income, investment and employment generators so aviation enjoys full support from the government as well. These along with a solid reputation for being one of the world’s leading free zones make DAFZ the ideal base for Middle East Aviation Technology Center and its efforts to pursue lucrative local and regional business opportunities. We will work closely with GE Aviation to ensure that we cover all of its present and future needs as it makes its mark in the Middle East’s very promising aviation landscape.”
Samer Al Jabari, said: “To ensure that we attain a strong foothold in the Middle East’s aviation industry, we must set up our business in a location that fits and meets our requirements and needs. DAFZ’s integrated business solutions and strategic advantages as well as world-class infrastructures and other amenities fully support the operations of our regional headquarters and our center in particular. We are bringing in the same level of excellence that we are globally known for to the Middle East and the Freezone will help us ensure that we will attain our commitment efficiently and effectively at lower overheads. Furthermore, due to DAFZ’s strategic location, our newly inaugurated regional offices will be able to quickly provide high-level services to the neighbouring markets. GE Aviation welcomes this mutually beneficial cooperation with DAFZ.”
Over the past few years, DAFZ has been successfully reinforcing its leadership as a preferred partner of aviation and aerospace companies, in particular from the United Kingdom, France, the United States of America, and Germany, which represent 18, 12, 11 and 10 per cent of total aviation companies operating in the Freezone respectively. DAFZ currently hosts a number of the world’s major aviation and aerospace multinational companies, including Airbus, Rolls Royce, and Bombardier, which represent 28 per cent of the number of aviation companies operating in the Freezone.
GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. As one of the leading aircraft engine manufacturers, the company provides jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft, and ship propulsion applications. It has established a global service network to support these offerings.
