The airport is being built as part of the Jebel Ali Airport City, an ambitious 140 square km project within which will be situated logistics, commercial, residential, educational, recreational, technology and entertainment zones.

To be completed in phases, it is expected that JXB will be ready to receive its first aircraft by the first quarter of 2007.

“No airport has ever been built to this scale - or been served with infrastructure of this magnitude and sophistication. It will accommodate every aircraft type yet conceived,” explained Khalifa Al Zaffin, director engineering and Projects, Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai.

The JAFZ is already home to one of the world's largest container ports, and when combined with the huge cargo handling capacity of the new airport, it is likely to be one of the world's largest trading hubs. The growth of Dubai as a business centre and tourist destination also demands that the emirate rapidly develops its transport infrastructure, and according to Anita Mehra Homayoun, director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Dubai Civil Aviation (DCA), there will need to be enough airport capacity to handle 60 million passengers by 2010.

“We had to start work on this project nearly ten years ahead of schedule due to the rapid growth of Dubai," said Khalifa Al Zaffin.

The Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) was established in 1985 with the specific purpose of facilitating investment. Its legal status is quite distinct: companies operating there are treated as being "offshore", or outside the UAE for legal purposes. The JAFZ permits 100% foreign ownership and there is exemption from all import duties and 100% repatriation of capital and profits is guaranteed. Furthermore, there is freedom from corporate taxation, as applied throughout Dubai.

The project's design is currently being finalised and the tendering process has already begun, with several local banks said to be keen to raise finance for the plan.