Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone (ADAFZ), the commercial free zone division of Abu Dhabi Airports, sealed transformative memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with prominent ecosystem partners—Abu Dhabi Food Hub and Wio, the UAE’s top digital banking provider—while showcasing its capabilities at the Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) 2026 event.
Overseeing one of Abu Dhabi’s most expansive free zone land reserves—roughly 90 million square meters of developable gross area across three prime airport sites—ADAFZ spans Zayed International Airport (AUH), Al Bateen Executive Airport (AZI), and Al Ain International Airport (AAN).
Strategic trade ecosystem
This hub hosts over 500 registered businesses within a seamless, multi-industry ecosystem blending airside and landside connectivity, bonded corridors, and investor-friendly regulations like full foreign ownership and no duties on imports or exports.
Standout assets in its lineup include the premier Al Falah logistics hub, covering 8.3 million sqm near AUH—Europe, Middle East, and Africa’s quickest-expanding mega-airport; the dedicated 800,000 sqm Logistics Park, already anchored by giants like FedEx and DHL; and the cutting-edge East Midfield Cargo Terminal (EMCT), a 90,000 sqm powerhouse slated for full operations in 2027, targeting 1.5 million tonnes of annual cargo throughput.
ADAFZ’s MIITE appearance aligned perfectly with Abu Dhabi’s non-oil economy hitting new highs. Data from the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi reveals a staggering 36 percent jump in non-oil trade for 2025, building on a 6.8 percent non-oil GDP rise over the first nine months of the year—fueled by a 13.8 percent Q3 spike in transport and storage sectors.
New business registrations also soared nearly 50 percent in the year’s first half, cementing Abu Dhabi’s status as a global trade and manufacturing powerhouse.
Empowering global connectivity
Ahmed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Abu Dhabi’s non-oil economy is growing at a pace that few anticipated, but which comes as no surprise to us. This momentum is the result of deliberate infrastructure, policy, and investment decisions. ADAFZ today sits at the centre of that infrastructure and is being developed to unlock even more of its potential.
We offer a strategically integrated ecosystem that connects manufacturers, logistics operators, and global supply chains to one of the world’s fastest-growing travel and trade hubs. Make it in the Emirates has been an ideal platform to demonstrate that scale which will connect the next generation of industrial and trade businesses with our proposition in Abu Dhabi.”
MIITE highlights featured two pivotal MoUs: one with Wio Bank to simplify bank account setups for free zone firms via shared onboarding and co-marketing, positioning Wio as the go-to banking ally for ADAFZ clients; and another with Abu Dhabi Food Hub to build a centralized consolidation system merging logistics, infrastructure, and trade networks—streamlining regional and international food product flows for more efficient, dependable, and expandable supply chains.
Through its MIITE spotlight, ADAFZ is ramping up outreach to manufacturers, industrial investors, and supply chain players in Abu Dhabi and internationally, supercharging its growth platform.
