UAE - Mubasher: The Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA) reported an 8.3% increase in new sales revenues during the first half (H1) of 2021.

Higher revenues are attributed to the rise of 24% year-on-year (YoY) in the leased areas and higher demand for the logistic units and leasing by more than double, according to a recent press release.

Meanwhile, the free zone's registered companies hiked by 88.4% in H1-21, when compared to the corresponding period of 2020, while the number of registrations for multinational companies rose by 23.5%.

DAFZA also registered a 96.4% increase in the number of small and medium companies in the January-June period of 2021, compared to the year-ago period.

DAFZA’s total trade amounted to over $39 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2021, up 4.7% compared to the same quarter of 2020.

The free zone also achieved a trade surplus of AED 2.44 billion, contributing to 11% of Dubai’s trade in Q1-21.

Commenting on the zone's performance, the Chairman of DAFZA, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: "Our results were an expected response to the recovery of the global trade movement and the opening of markets, proving the high confidence the emirate enjoys globally."

Meanwhile, the Director General of DAFZA, Mohammed Al Zarooni, commented: "The free zone also plays a key role in supporting the direction of the UAE and the emirate of Dubai in economic diversification, as DAFZA supports more than 1,800 companies across more than 20 economic sectors."