Abu Dhabi · Free zone
ADAFZ
Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone
The honest read
What it is actually good at.
Aircraft maintenance, air cargo handling and aviation supply chain, on the airport itself. Etihad's engineering base is the anchor and much of the tenant list serves it.
Who is actually based here
Aviation services, MRO operations, air cargo handlers and aviation supply chain, anchored by Etihad's engineering base.
What it costs
Premium airport-perimeter pricing for cargo facilities and MRO hangars; office space is more conventional.
How banks receive it
Straightforward.
Commonly licensed here
- Emirate
- Abu Dhabi
- Type
- Free zone
- Location
- Zayed International Airport
- Established
- 2016
- Licence issuance
- 3–5 weeks
- Residence visas
- By leased area
- Ownership
- 100% foreign
- Premises
- Cargo facilities, MRO hangars, offices
Timelines, quotas and package contents are indicative and change without notice. We confirm every one against the current schedule before you commit to anything.
Premises
Where the office actually goes.
ADAFZ licenses from Zayed International Airport, and Khalifa City is the nearest district where you would realistically take space — near enough to be practical, and priced on its own terms rather than the zone's.
A large suburban district between the city and the airport, mixing villas, schools, retail strips and small commercial premises. What ADAFZ itself offers by way of premises: Cargo facilities, MRO hangars, offices.
- District
- Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi
- Typical rent
- Value band — among the cheapest commercial space in Abu Dhabi
- Licence type there
- Mainland
Questions
Aviation services, maintenance and repair, air cargo and time-critical logistics at Zayed International Airport.
For operational aviation activity, yes — and that certification is a far longer process than the company licence.
Yes, and parts trading is considerably lighter than operational activity — a trading licence without operational certification.