In line with the government strategy ”UAE Centennial Plan 2071”, Emirates airlines, along with several partners from the industry, announced their plans to build the first Aviation X-Lab at Area 2071.
The first of its kind venue in the world would host under one roof all parties involved in aviation: airlines, manufacturers, ground logistics, regulators, engineers, startups, and academics. They would work together towards finding solutions to the most critical problems of the transportation industry. A solution that none of them could come up with separately, without the help of the others.
Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the new aviation hub would become the experimental nucleus of the Centennial Plan 2071. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, commented the new initiative would allow Emirates to take part in the solution of the challenges in the aviation sector and to unlock new possibilities for the future.
As of this year, the Aviation X-Lab at Area 2071, Emirates would organize industry summits to define the challenges for the airline industry. Subsequently, it would invite scientists, engineers, startups, and academics to work together on finding solutions. The participants would have one year of time to collaborate with leading industry professionals, run experiments, and develop prototypes.
The finalists from all around the globe would meet in Dubai each April for an annual conference to share their findings. The winners would have the chance to move to Dubai to bring their ideas into reality and to work with leading professors and tech innovators.
The application for the inaugural Aviation X-Lab would start in November. The selected participants would present their ideas in public in April 2018. If interested, find more information and register on the official site of the event.