MEREF: The real estate industry has an important role to play in delivering the full benefits of world-class aviation, according to an expert in the Middle East.
Christopher Bradley, general manager for Middle East aviation at Chevron, said efforts to transform Dubai into a major logistics and aviation hub, where businesses have genuine access to wider regional markets, can only be complete with the provision of appropriate and thoughtfully located commercial space.
“Businesses want to be close to major logistics and infrastructure hubs such as Dubai where they have the ability to access wider markets. Offices are a key part of allowing that to happen.
“Equally, it is important to have an airport that is accessible, that enables you to connect quickly into cities, where people are increasingly choosing to live, and that allows you to travel on holiday quickly. Effective residential real estate is crucial to this.”
Bradley, who was speaking at EG’s Middle East Real Estate Forum in Dubai on 26 April also described a 2:1 ratio multiplier effect on a country’s GDP brought by airport infrastructure which aligns the needs of residents and a business community, and harnesses the power of policy, government ambition and infrastructure.
Chevron is a global energy company which supplies aviation fuel. The company also collaborates with governments to manage the infrastructure by which the fuel is transported.
Bradley previously worked for British Airways in London, in roles including brand management and strategic development.
He told EG he was confident Britain would move closer to a 24-hour-a-day airport model such as Dubai as aviation innovation made jet engines quieter, but only as long as the government, residents, communities and other stakeholders could achieve a “contract of understanding” on the benefits.
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