Dubai South, the aviation, logistics, and real estate development built around Al Maktoum International Airport, is entering a new stage of growth. Several projects moving forward at once show where the district is headed over the next few years, from housing and retail to aviation infrastructure and business support.
The largest of these is a mixed-use community spanning 22 million square feet, valued at AED 62 billion, being built by Majid Al Futtaim, a developer of shopping malls, communities, and leisure destinations across the Middle East. The community will bring homes, shops, and everyday lifestyle spaces to Dubai South, anchored by a large shopping mall. Until now, growth in the area has centred mainly on logistics, aviation, and early residential neighbourhoods. This project adds the retail and leisure layer a district needs once people start living there in larger numbers.
Another residential project is already under construction closer to the ground. HAYAT, a luxury community spanning 10 million square feet next to the Golf District, has an AED 2 billion contract awarded to build out several of its phases. The plan includes around 2,500 homes, spanning townhouses, villas, mansions, apartments, and hotel apartments, along with parks, walking trails, fitness facilities, a community mall, a retail boulevard, and a lake with lagoons running through the site. Construction started in the second quarter of 2026, with the first phases due for completion by 2028. HAYAT sits near a school and a public bus route connecting to the Expo Metro station, and a 200,000 square foot mall is already under development nearby, giving an early sense of what the wider district’s retail base will look like once these projects come online together.
Aviation remains the backbone of Dubai South, and the district’s biggest single infrastructure project underlines that. Emirates has broken ground on a US$5.1 billion engineering complex that will become one of the largest maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities in the world, spanning 1.1 million square metres. The hangar complex will be able to service 28 wide body aircraft at once, alongside the largest landing gear workshop anywhere and two paint hangars. The facility is being built by China Railway Construction Corporation and targets a LEED Platinum sustainability rating, with completion expected by the middle of 2030. Once finished, it positions Dubai South as a long term hub for aircraft maintenance work that currently spreads across smaller facilities elsewhere in the region.
Behind the large construction projects, Dubai South has spent recent months building out support for the businesses already operating there. A package for small and medium companies at the Business Park introduced rent free incentives tied to contract renewals, payment deferral flexibility, and the waiver of minor administrative penalties. A separate set of measures for companies in the Free Zone eased new company formation, sped up license renewals, and removed late renewal fines. Emirates NBD signed a memorandum of understanding to give Dubai South businesses faster access to corporate accounts and tailored banking services. Together, these steps point to a district trying to keep its existing business base growing steadily while the larger residential and aviation projects take shape around it.
A smaller update from neighbouring Expo City Dubai fits the same pattern of districts maturing past their construction phase. Dubai Police extended its Esaad Privilege Card Programme to property owners and investors there, giving them access to discounts across healthcare, education, tourism, hotels, and retail through a network spanning more than 95 countries. It is a modest addition on its own, but it shows how a district built for the long term keeps adding everyday services once residents and investors settle in, a pattern Dubai South looks set to follow as its own residential population grows.
Put together, these projects describe a district moving from single purpose infrastructure toward a complete city. The airport and engineering facility anchor the aviation and logistics side that Dubai South was built around. HAYAT and the Majid Al Futtaim community add the housing, retail, and everyday amenities that turn a work zone into a place people actually live. The business support measures and the banking partnership keep the companies already operating there growing steadily through the transition. Over the next few years, expect more of Dubai South’s masterplan to fill in around these anchors, following a path already familiar from how nearby Expo City Dubai has developed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to set up a business in Dubai South?
Dubai South offers company setup through its Free Zone and its Business Park, with recent incentives easing new company formation, license renewals, and administrative fees. The district also added a memorandum of understanding with Emirates NBD to give businesses faster access to corporate banking, alongside a support package for small and medium companies at the Business Park covering rent free incentives and payment deferral flexibility.
Which big projects are ongoing in Dubai South?
Three major projects are underway. Majid Al Futtaim is building a mixed-use community spanning 22 million square feet, valued at AED 62 billion, with a mall and residential mix at its centre. HAYAT, a 10 million square foot luxury community next to the Golf District, has an AED 2 billion contract in place to deliver its first phases by 2028. Emirates is building a US$5.1 billion aircraft engineering complex, one of the largest maintenance and repair facilities in the world, with completion expected by 2030.
What benefits can property owners get in Dubai South?
Property owners in Dubai South benefit from a growing retail and lifestyle layer arriving through the Majid Al Futtaim and HAYAT projects, including malls, parks, and community amenities built alongside the homes. Nearby Expo City Dubai recently extended Dubai Police’s Esaad Privilege Card Programme to its property owners and investors, giving them discounts across healthcare, education, tourism, hotels, and retail through a network in more than 95 countries, a pattern Dubai South is positioned to follow as its residential base grows.
