Doment

Dubai Land Department set out two new education routes into the property sector at the International Property Show, held 7 to 9 September 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre. The first is a Level 4 diploma developed with the Higher Colleges of Technology, taking its first students this autumn. The Real Estate Sector Diploma runs 90 study hours over two academic years and covers property management, financial operations, legislation, compliance and dealing with other parties in a transaction. It includes two blocks of field training. DLD and HCT first announced the diploma in January 2026, with around 40 places planned per intake. The second is a bachelor's degree in real estate being developed with the University of Dubai, covering finance, investment, valuation, regulation, property management and real estate technology. The university also plans certificates, postgraduate degrees and executive courses around it. Its start date has not yet been finalised. Dubai recorded AED 419.9 bil...

Dubai Land Department says its Real Estate Empowerment Programme has placed more than 2,100 Emiratis in property jobs since 2023. The next phase targets Emiratis filling 15 per cent of brokerage roles within 3 years. The figures were released on 14 September 2026. The programme runs through 4 partners: Dubai Land Department, the Emirati Human Resources Development Council in Dubai, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and the federal Nafis scheme. It falls under the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Real Estate Sector Strategy 2033. The pipeline runs through career awareness campaigns, job matching, and practical training inside active brokerages, ending with a National Broker licence and an allocation of units in selected projects. Firms in the programme report better retention where Emirati hires get a defined career path and professional development. Read the full article on Doment: Dubai Real Estate Empowerment Programme: 2,100 Emirati property jobs since 2...

Emirates carried 8.6 million passengers in July and August while operating at 93 per cent of its pre-disruption capacity, and reports forward bookings ahead of last winter in 10 markets: South Africa, Brazil, India, Portugal, Egypt, Ghana, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Nepal. The airline has taken delivery of 18 aircraft since January 2026, 11 Airbus A350s and 7 Boeing 777 freighters, with 6 more A350s due between October and December. Helsinki joins the network on 1 October. By the end of the year the A350 will serve 36 cities and 155 aircraft will carry Emirates' newest cabins, including premium economy. The flydubai partnership covers 214 destinations and has carried 28 million passengers since 2017. In August, Dubai recorded about 869,000 international visitors and hotel occupancy of 66 per cent. Read the full article on Doment: Emirates winter bookings run ahead of last year: what 93% capacity means for Dubai hotels and short lets Originally published on Doment , Du...

Dubai recorded about 869,000 international overnight visitors in August 2026, its strongest month since February, according to figures the Government of Dubai Media Office released on 13 September. The release came a day before the 33rd Arabian Travel Market opened at Dubai World Trade Centre. Hotel occupancy fell to 36 per cent in March, then rose every month to reach 66 per cent in August, about 89 per cent of the level recorded a year earlier. The rebound followed an AED 2.5 billion government package for tourism, hospitality and entertainment, and the restoration of 97 per cent of Emirates' route network. For the first 8 months of 2026, Dubai counted 6.97 million international visitors and 21.61 million occupied room nights, against a hotel stock of roughly 149,000 rooms at the end of August. Between January and August, Western Europe supplied 20 per cent of arrivals, South Asia 17 per cent, the GCC 16 per cent, and CIS and Eastern Europe 14 per cent. Arabian Travel Market run...

RTA director general and chairman Mattar Al Tayer said on 14 September 2026 that land near new Dubai Metro stations gains 15 to 30 per cent in value. He spoke at a press conference announcing RailX Dubai, a rail and mobility conference set for Dubai World Trade Centre from 31 May to 2 June 2027, under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed. The event is planned for more than 5,000 participants, over 60 exhibitors and more than 70 speakers, with CRRC as the first organising partner. Al Tayer also gave figures on the rail pipeline. The Blue Line, 30 kilometres with 14 stations, is due in 2029. The Gold Line, fully underground, goes to tender by the end of 2026, covers 42 kilometres and 18 stations, and is planned for 2032 with capacity for 465,000 passengers a day. Combined, the two lines represent about AED 55 billion in investment and would extend the network from roughly 90 kilometres to 162 kilometres, an 80 per cent increase. The RTA is also studying a roughly 55 kilometre...

The Dubai Media Office confirmed on 14 September that Global Village will open its 31st season on Wednesday 14 October 2026, running through to May 2027. The theme for this season is A More Wonderful World . Global Village has operated every winter since 1997 and draws millions of visitors each season across its pavilions, stage shows, food streets and markets. New attractions will be announced in the coming weeks. Ticket prices and opening hours for season 31 have not yet been published. Location and property impact The site sits off Exit 37 of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, between the villa communities of Dubailand and the apartment districts near Academic City. For the roughly 7 month season, surrounding junctions carry added visitor traffic, with weekends the busiest period. The season also brings seasonal workers and winter visitors to the area between October and May, a period when furnished units in Villanova, Layan and Remraam tend to let faster. Read the full article on Do...

Dubai Land Department's weekly figures recorded AED 10.67 billion in property transactions over the 5 working days from 7 to 11 September 2026. Sales made up AED 6.78 billion across 2,931 transactions, mortgages added AED 2.80 billion, and gift transfers accounted for a further AED 1.09 billion. The average sale price worked out at roughly AED 2.3 million. Largest sales of the week The 3 biggest sales of the week totaled more than AED 101 million between them. The top sale was an office at Almas Tower in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, at AED 36.8 million. An apartment at Mr C Residences in Jumeirah Second sold for AED 36.5 million, and an apartment at Bugatti Residences by Binghatti in Business Bay sold for AED 28 million. Year to date The first half of 2026 produced AED 419.9 billion across 112,850 transactions in Dubai, which averages out near AED 16 billion for a full 7 day week. The week's total followed the close of IPS 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre. Read the full artic...

The Dubai Land Department used PropTech Connect Europe 2026 in London, held on 9 and 10 September, to share updated figures for its First Time Home Buyer programme. More than 45,000 people have registered, and over 3,200 have completed a first home purchase in Dubai, a conversion rate of about 7 per cent. The department published its account of the trip on 11 September 2026. PropTech Connect Middle East will return to Dubai on 3 and 4 February 2027. The February 2026 edition drew more than 3,000 participants and over 300 speakers. The London delegation was led by Majid Al Marri, CEO of the Corporate Support Sector, with Mohammed Yahya of the real estate transactions department and project manager Talal Al Suwaidi. On display were the Initial Registration platform, the Dubai REST app, the Dubai PropTech Hub and the REACH Middle East programme. Read the full article on Doment: Dubai first time home buyer programme tops 45,000 sign-ups as PropTech Connect Middle East is set for 3 and 4 F...

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority announced on 6 September 2026 that most preventive and corrective road maintenance now takes place during off-peak night hours, with any closed lane required to reopen before the morning rush. Night shifts cover more than resurfacing. Crews also handle pavement rehabilitation, bridge and tunnel upkeep, stormwater drainage, street lighting, traffic signals, road signs and safety barriers, across highways, residential streets and cycling tracks. RTA has set a target of 90,000 square metres of pavement maintenance for 2026, up from 88,000 square metres in 2025. By early June, it had already rehabilitated 17 kilometres of asphalt across 9 major streets in 6 districts. The authority states that 95 per cent of its road network assets currently rate as excellent. Maintenance priority is determined using automated asset data, smart diagnostics and field inspections, weighed against customer reports and traffic volumes. Read the full article on ...

The Roads and Transport Authority completed a summer programme of road upgrades around six Dubai school zones ahead of the 2026-27 academic term. Works covered more than 10 schools in Wadi Al Safa 4, Al Barsha, Umm Al Sheif, Dubai Motor City, Dubai Studio City and Al Sufouh, carried out during the school holidays to avoid closing busy streets while traffic was lighter. Key changes A new road now links Al Qudra Road with Hessa Street through Motor City and Studio City, giving direct access to GEMS Metropole School. Parking at Horizon International School in Umm Al Sheif has been doubled. Entrances and exits on the service road at the Al Barsha South schools complex were reworked to reduce queuing at drop-off. At-grade improvements were made near The International School of Choueifat in Al Sufouh, and the road past GEMS Winchester School in Wadi Al Safa 4 received traffic-calming measures. The RTA has asked parents to use the designated drop-off points now in place. Read the full a...

Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths outlined a new timeline for Al Maktoum International (DWC) at the Government of Dubai Media Office's International Media Briefing on 11 September 2026. A second runway is due by the end of 2027, and the first phase of the airport's expansion, built for 150 million passengers a year, is expected to open in the early 2030s. Griffiths said flydubai could base 5 to 6 aircraft at DWC as early as next year, ahead of a phased move from Dubai International once the 150 million passenger capacity is ready. The completed airport is planned with 8 passenger nodes of about 32 million passengers each and 5 runways, 4 active and 1 on standby, giving an eventual capacity of 260 million passengers a year. On Dubai International, July traffic reached 6.3 million passengers, up 26 per cent on June. The airport expects around 70 million passengers for 2026 and a return to a 100 million annual pace by the end of 2027. Read the full article on Doment:...

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has finished a set of upgrades at Al Qiyadah Intersection on Al Ittihad Road, the main route between Dubai and Sharjah. The RTA expects peak hour waiting times at the junction to fall by up to 15 per cent. The main change is a new left turn lane for traffic leaving Al Ittihad Road onto Abu Hail Street toward Salah Al Din Street. The RTA created the extra space by removing a stretch of parallel parking and trimming part of the central median, then adjusted the signal timings to match the new layout. Other work completed The project also included fresh paving and repaired footpaths, new concrete barriers where the layout changed, extra parking bays along Abu Hail Street, and new lighting poles at existing parking areas. Al Qiyadah sorts traffic into Abu Hail, Salah Al Din and Al Quds Streets in Deira. Read the full article on Doment: Al Qiyadah Intersection Upgrade: RTA Adds a New Left-Turn Lane Off Al Ittihad Road to Cut Peak Waits 15% O...

Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), which runs Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai CommerCity, reported 96 per cent occupancy across its three campuses for the first half of 2026. The figures, released on 17 August, showed operating companies up 13 per cent year on year and the combined workforce up 24 per cent. DIEZ also flagged two projects under way. District IO is an AED 11 billion technology district. Block 14 is a mixed-use scheme in Silicon Oasis whose first phase, valued at AED 1.8 billion, will include one commercial building, two residential buildings and a retail district, completing in 2029. Other figures cited: 15 startup investments by venture arm Oraseya Capital with deal value up 25 per cent, and 57 per cent more new registrations at the Dtec entrepreneur campus, where AI firms grew 95 per cent. Read the full article on Doment: DIEZ H1 2026: Dubai Free Zones Hit 96% Occupancy as AED 1.8 Billion Block 14 Brings Homes to Silicon Oasis Ori...

The Government of Dubai Media Office announced on 7 September 2026 that Mirae Asset Financial Group has opened an office in Dubai International Financial Centre. The Seoul-based group manages more than USD 800 billion in assets worldwide, and its investment arm, Mirae Asset Global Investments, runs USD 400 billion across 22 markets. The new entity, Mirae Asset Investment Managers (DIFC) Limited, is based in Emirates Financial Towers and holds a Prudential Category 3C licence from the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The licence allows it to manage and distribute collective investment funds to institutional and professional clients across the GCC, covering equities, fixed income, ETFs, multi-asset strategies, alternatives and private markets. DIFC ended June 2026 with 10,018 active registered companies, including 592 wealth and asset management firms. The centre had pre-leased roughly 600,000 square feet of new office space before the buildings were completed. Read the full article...

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority signed a 10 year naming rights agreement with Garmin on 7 September 2026. The Onpassive metro station on the Red Line will be renamed Garmin Metro Station, and Garmin makes GPS devices and smartwatches. Signage, network maps, on board announcements and app listings will be updated between September and November 2026. The deal was arranged through AMIT Retail LLC, Garmin's exclusive distributor in the UAE. Mada Media oversees the RTA's naming rights contracts, and Hypermedia manages the wider programme, which the authority launched in 2009 and describes as the first of its kind anywhere. Abdul Mohsen Kalbat, head of the RTA's Rail Agency, said the signing shows the programme continues to attract major brands from different sectors. The station has now had two different names in a few years. Read the full article on Doment: Garmin buys 10 year naming rights to Dubai's Onpassive metro station on the Red Line Originally published ...

The Dubai Maritime Authority reported on 7 September 2026 that 8,415 marine craft are now registered in Dubai, owned by people from 116 countries. British nationals form the largest ownership group. The authority also counts more than 14,000 companies operating along the 72 km of coastline it regulates. The registered fleet breaks down into 3,269 motorised pleasure boats, 2,377 watersports craft, 1,064 tourism vessels, 897 commercial craft serving water sports and 224 marine public transport vessels. Dubai also has 87 floating restaurants, 58 of them wooden, seating about 9,600 diners in total. These restaurants are concentrated in four districts: Dubai Marina, Dubai Creek, Dubai Harbour and Al Jaddaf Waterfront. The city has 20 marinas offering 4,214 wet berths, meaning roughly two registered boats for every berth. Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, the authority's chief executive, said the regulator will continue developing its licensing and safety framework acro...

Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City are hosting 14 exhibitions and conferences in September 2026, according to a calendar released by the Government of Dubai Media Office on 31 August. Middle East Energy opens the month from 1 to 3 September, with more than 1,900 exhibitors and about 35,000 attendees expected. Dubai Derma runs 8 to 10 September with over 25,000 visitors and 1,875 exhibiting brands from 114 countries. GISEC Global runs 16 to 18 September with over 25,000 professionals from more than 182 countries. Seamless Middle East runs 22 to 24 September with over 20,000 attendees and 750 exhibitors. The 22nd International Property Show and the 15th AIM Congress both run 7 to 9 September. The month closes with the AWS Summit on 30 September and GOTECH, running from 29 September into early October. Seven events publish visitor targets, totaling more than 121,000 people. Read the full article on Doment: Dubai Events September 2026: DWTC and Expo Cit...

Indian businesses now hold a bigger place in Dubai's economy than at any point on record, and close to half of them work in property or construction. Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum in New Delhi on 24 August, Dubai Chambers president and chief executive Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah said 85,841 Indian companies were active members of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce at the end of June 2026, after 7,579 joined in the first half of the year alone. Membership is growing 15 per cent year on year. The trading relationship underneath those flows keeps widening. Dubai's non-oil trade with India reached AED 222.5 billion in 2025, up 15 per cent in a year and 136.2 per cent over the decade. The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, in force since May 2022, has added 35 per cent to bilateral trade in three years. Read the full article on Doment: Indian Companies in Dubai Reach 85,841 and Nearly Half Work in Real Estate or Construction, Dubai Chambers Say...

Dubai Municipality has opened a 102 metre bridge inside Mushrif National Park, connecting trail sections that were previously separated by the park's internal roads. The full crossing measures 182 metres end to end. The deck has two marked lanes, one for mountain bikes and one for pedestrians, removing a pinch point where the two groups previously had to squeeze past each other. The route starts at Mushrif Hub, the base station the municipality built for riders, hikers and families entering the park. Bader Anwahi, chief executive of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, said the bridge lets the trail run through the park without a break. Mushrif is the largest forest park in Dubai. The municipality has also built a mountain bike network of about 50 kilometres graded green, blue and red, a walking trail of close to ten kilometres, and lighting for after dark. The park sits near the villa districts of Mirdif, Al Warqa, Al Mizhar and Al Khawaneej. Read the full art...

Parkway International Contracting has been awarded the main construction contract for phase three of City Walk Crestlane, the Meraas apartment scheme in central Dubai. The contract is worth more than AED 590 million and covers 394 apartments across 4 residential buildings. Completion is scheduled for Q3 2028, and work on site has already begun. The buildings will include landscaped courtyards, water features, swimming pools, sports facilities, a fitness centre, a floating clubhouse and an outdoor cinema. Crestlane is part of the wider City Walk district, close to Downtown Dubai, DIFC, Sheikh Zayed Road, the Jumeirah coast and Dubai International Airport. Khalid Al Malik, chief executive of Dubai Holding Real Estate, said the expansion reflects steady demand for design led homes in the city centre. Parkway described the award as a deepening of its relationship with Meraas. Read the full article on Doment: Meraas awards AED 590 million City Walk Crestlane contract: 394 apartments due ...

The Roads and Transport Authority has extended its Bus-On-Demand service in Dubai to Al Satwa, Al Quoz and Mirdif, bringing the total number of covered districts to 20. The expansion follows a first-half ridership of 527,000 passengers between January and June 2026, up 25.1 per cent compared with the same period last year. June was the busiest month recorded so far, with 105,990 riders. The RTA has increased its fleet to 55 buses and expanded its operating footprint by 54 per cent. The other 17 districts already served include Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, DIFC, Barsha Heights, Al Rigga, Port Saeed, Al Karama, Al Mankhool, Oud Metha, Al Nahda, Al Qusais, Al Barsha, Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Academic City, Dubai Investment Park and Al Warqaa. Trips are booked through the Dubai Bus on Demand app, with payment by credit card, debit card or nol. Read the full article on Doment: Dubai Bus-On-Demand Expands to 20 Areas: RTA Adds Al Satwa, Al Quoz and Mirdif Af...

Dubai Municipality announced on 9 August 2026 that it is building an AI system to approve villa building permits without human review in standard cases. The system will apply to private and investment villa applications filed through the Build in Dubai platform, with decisions issued in minutes instead of days. The AI agent reads submitted drawings and files, then checks compliance with the Dubai Building Code, reviews mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans, verifies structural safety requirements, and cross checks data across all documents in the file. Applications that pass every check get an automatic permit and building card. Flagged applications go to a human engineer. Rollout The rollout runs over 26 weeks in three phases: developing and testing the AI agent, a pilot with selected engineering consultancies, and a full opening to all private and investment villa permit applications. Eng. Mariam Al Muhairi, chief executive of the Building Regulation and Permits Agency at Dub...

Dubai Municipality's Waste and Sewerage Agency has been certified against ISO 24566, the international standard for managing stormwater services under a changing climate. The certification was announced on 25 August 2026, making the agency the first government body worldwide to achieve it. ISO 24566 covers how flood risk is assessed, how new drainage infrastructure is planned and designed, and how the existing network of drains, culverts and pumping stations is operated and maintained. Eng. Adel Mohammed Al Marzouqi, chief executive of the Waste and Sewerage Agency, said the standard provides a systematic method for addressing climate impacts on the city's drainage system. The certification follows the April 2024 storms, which flooded villas, car parks and service roads across several Dubai districts. It runs alongside the Tasreef programme, the emirate's drainage expansion initiative, which is adding capacity through 2033. Read the full article on Doment: Dubai Municipal...

On 9 August 2026, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority opened a 700 metre, four lane bridge on the southern side of the Al Qudra Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street junction. The bridge carries up to 6,000 vehicles an hour towards Al Qudra. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority opened a new 700 metre, four lane bridge on 9 August 2026 at the junction of Al Qudra Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street. The bridge, on the southern side of the junction, carries up to 6,000 vehicles an hour towards Al Qudra. A matching bridge for the opposite direction opened in February. With both now in service, the junction's capacity rises to 19,400 vehicles an hour, up from 7,800, and the RTA says average waiting time falls by 85 percent, from about seven minutes to about one minute. More works planned for Q4 2026 The RTA plans to open two side ramps in the fourth quarter of 2026, a 500 metre bridge towards Jebel Ali and a 900 metre span towards Downtown Dubai a...

An agent opens our developer comparison in front of a client before they walk into a sales centre. It is built from 1,136,063 registered sales, and it says what a developer sells, at what rate, how the price of their stock has moved over four years, what it yields to rent, what residents say about them in public, whether they hand over when they said they would, and what their service charge does year on year. Until this week the developer had no way to see any of it. That is now a workspace of their own. The first decision was whether the panel should show a developer a kinder version of a number we publish to a thousand brokers. It should not, and the reason is practical rather than principled: they would find out from the first agent who quoted the other one, and then nothing else we told them would be worth reading. So every measurement in the panel is the one on the comparison. What the panel adds is the half an agency has no use for. Where they stand measure by measure, with...

Salik, the exclusive operator of Dubai's road tolls, has renewed its technology contract with US firm Transcore for another 5 years. The agreement was announced on 6 September 2026 and extends a partnership dating back to 2006, when Transcore built the original tolling system. Salik chief executive Ibrahim Al Haddad and Transcore chief executive Whitt Hall signed the deal, witnessed by Salik chairman Mattar Al Tayer. Transcore remains responsible for the systems behind all 10 Salik toll gates, including the variable pricing engine charging AED 6 at peak and AED 4 off peak since 31 January 2025. The renewal adds scope for artificial intelligence tools, support for Salik's expansion into parking payments, and stricter requirements on cybersecurity, maintenance, and governance. Salik expects operating expenses to stay at 5 to 5.5 per cent of annual revenue, the same range as under the previous contract. Read the full article on Doment: Salik renews Transcore contract for 5 years...

This is close enough to the ~150 word target (163 words). Here is the final HTML: Dubai Land Department has launched phase two of its tokenised real estate pilot, opening a regulated secondary market for property tokens. Since 20 February 2026, investors have been able to resell about 7.8 million existing tokens instead of waiting for the underlying property to sell. DLD says this makes it the first property registration authority in the region to supervise token trading under formal regulatory oversight. The tokens represent fractional stakes in completed Dubai properties, traded through the Prypco Mint app, where entry starts at AED 2,000. The programme is overseen by DLD and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. Investor protection rules carry over from phase one, which drew input from the Central Bank of the UAE and the Dubai Future Foundation. Phase one launched in 2025 and generated more than AED 9 million through Prypco Mint in its first month. DLD has estimated tokenised...

Dubai Land Department figures released on 20 August by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, show 104 real estate projects completed in the first half of 2026, up 38.7 per cent from 75 a year earlier. The Dubai Land Department has confirmed 104 real estate projects were completed in the first half of 2026, an increase of 38.7 per cent from 75 completions in the same period of 2025. The figures were announced on 20 August by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. The combined investment value of these projects exceeded AED 111 billion, up 52 per cent from AED 73 billion a year earlier. They delivered 24,537 new units, compared with 18,043 in the first half of 2025, across 1.95 million square metres of completed built-up area, a rise of 23.4 per cent. Land allocated to new projects during the half reached AED 19.46 billion, up more than 135 per cent from AED 8.27 billion a year earlier, with the allocated area more th...

The Roads and Transport Authority is widening a 5 kilometre stretch of Emirates Road from six lanes to eight, opening to traffic on Sunday, 30 August. The new lanes serve the approach from Sharjah toward Wadi Al Amardi on Dubai's eastern side. Capacity on the widened section increases from 12,000 to 16,000 vehicles an hour, a rise of about a third. The RTA expects peak journey times to fall by as much as 25 per cent. Emirates Road carries more than 240,000 vehicles a day in both directions, linking Dubai with Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. The stretch passes villa districts including Al Khawaneej , Wadi Al Amardi and Al Aweer , areas that have added housing this year. The RTA announced the opening through the Emirates News Agency on 28 August, two days ahead of the new lanes taking effect, and framed it as part of wider capacity work across Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Read the full article on Doment: Emirates Road Widening Opens 30 August: RTA Adds Two Lanes on the ...

Dubai International Airport (DXB) handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026, a fall of 31.3 per cent from the same period in 2025, according to figures released by the Dubai Media Office on 26 August. Passenger numbers climbed each month of the second quarter: 3.5 million in April, 4.5 million in May and 5 million in June, totalling 13 million for the quarter. Aircraft movements for the half totalled 150,600, down 32.1 per cent, and air cargo volume was 751,340 tonnes, down 28.7 per cent. By the end of June, DXB served 217 destinations in 99 countries. Operational performance held up despite lower volumes. Passport control cleared 98.98 per cent of departing passengers in under ten minutes, security screening cleared 99.34 per cent in under five minutes, and the airport recorded 2.7 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, against a global benchmark of 4.9. Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said the period "tested every part of the aviation system, and...

Nakheel launched 44 beachfront villas on Palm Jebel Ali's Frond F, announced on 20 August through the Dubai Media Office. The release covers ten architectural designs, with every villa positioned directly on the sand. Two collections make up the release. The Beach Collection has five and six bedroom villas of roughly 7,500 to 8,500 square feet. The Coral Collection has six and seven bedroom villas of 11,500 to 12,500 square feet. Four firms worked on the designs: NAGA Architects, SAOTA, LW Design Group and LOCI Architecture. Nakheel has not published prices. Nakheel says 544 villas are already under construction on Fronds A to F, and 728 on Fronds K to P have reached the finishing stage. More than AED 13 billion in construction and infrastructure contracts have been awarded on the island. First handovers are due before the end of 2026, with deliveries continuing through 2027. Read the full article on Doment: Nakheel Launches 44 Beachfront Villas on Palm Jebel Ali Frond F: Beach a...

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority confirmed on 25 August that 26 new private education institutions will open in Dubai for the 2026-27 academic year, adding 16,846 school places. The total covers 17 early childhood centres, seven schools and two higher education campuses. Among the seven schools, four teach a UK curriculum and three offer the International Baccalaureate. New arrivals include Harrow International School Dubai, Rugby School Dubai and Queen Elizabeth's School in Dubai Sports City. KHDA figures show private education in Dubai has grown 4.6 per cent a year over the past three years, with the teaching workforce up 17.5 per cent. In that period, 21 private schools opened, enrolment rose 3.1 per cent, 87 early childhood centres opened, and 11 higher education institutions opened with university enrolment up 29 per cent. This year's 17 early childhood centres add more than 1,700 seats. American University of Beirut Dubai starts classes in September 2026, ...

Dubai recorded AED 419.9 billion in real estate transactions across 112,850 deals in the first half of 2026, based on Dubai Land Department data reported by the Emirates News Agency. Sales accounted for AED 286.4 billion across 86,000 transactions, down about 12 percent from the AED 326.6 billion recorded in the first half of 2025. The remaining activity included AED 133.5 billion in mortgages and gifted property, bringing the overall decline to less than 3 percent. Ready properties generated AED 146.7 billion from 27,160 sales, while off-plan properties generated AED 139.8 billion from 58,840 sales. The average ready home sold for about AED 5.4 million, compared with AED 2.4 million for off-plan units. Off-plan office sales reached AED 13.1 billion across 1,668 deals in the six-month period, exceeding the combined AED 5.48 billion recorded from 2019 through 2025. New project launches since January passed AED 275 billion in value. Read the full article on Doment: Dubai Real Estate H1...

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority opened a new bridge on Friday 14 August, linking the Dubai World Trade Centre and One Central office cluster to the junction of Al Mustaqbal Street and Za'abeel Palace Street. The bridge is 500 metres long with two lanes. During major exhibitions, the RTA says the drive that once took around 10 minutes now takes 2. It is the first completed piece of the AED 633 million Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project, which will add 2,000 metres of bridges and tunnels and widen about 3.5 kilometres of Al Mustaqbal Street from three lanes to four in each direction. Once finished, capacity rises 33 percent, from 6,600 to 8,800 vehicles an hour, and the full corridor run falls from 13 minutes to 6. A second bridge, serving traffic from Sheikh Rashid Road toward 2nd December Street, is due by the end of August. A third, from Al Majlis Street toward 2nd December Street, follows in October. Three tunnels totalling 1,500 metres at the Al Mustaqbal Street ...

A new Dubai Land Department platform called Initial Registration went live on 3 September, according to an announcement carried by the Emirates News Agency. Known locally as Oqood 2.0, the system combines project registration, off-plan sales registration and escrow account management into one process. The platform asks guided questions to determine which requirements apply to a given transaction, then auto-fills details from documents already on file, such as a passport. Applications show their status at every stage, and government reviewers see a single consolidated view of submissions instead of information spread across separate systems. Mostafa Mohammed Refai, senior project manager in DLD's digital transformation team, said the aim is to shift repetitive work onto the technology and give applicants "more time, focus and confidence" in the process. Dubai recorded AED 419.9 billion in property transactions in the first half of 2026. DLD said the platform will k...

Trakhees, the regulatory arm of Dubai's Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, recorded 22,823 customer transactions in the first half of 2026, the Dubai Government Media Office announced on 3 September. The department oversees International City, Palm Jumeirah, The World Islands, Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Maritime City, Al Jaddaf and Jebel Ali Village. Employment visa transactions totaled 11,603, or 51 per cent of the half year total. Labour disputes, no objection certificates, occupational health cards and services for individuals without a sponsor accounted for 7,923 transactions, about 35 per cent. Establishment cards made up 1,271 transactions, and all other services came to 2,026. The H1 2026 figures Employment visa transactions: 11,603 (51 per cent) Labour disputes, NOCs, occupational health cards and non-sponsored individual services: 7,923 (about 35 per cent) Establishment cards: 1,271 All other services: 2,026 Eng. Abdulla Mohammed Belhoul, CEO of the...