HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, last month approved the designs of the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport and ordered the immediate start of work on its expansion at a total cost of AED128 billion ($34.8 billion).

UAE-based Al Habtoor Group said it has achieved a major milestone in the construction of its iconic 87-floor tower at Al Habtoor City, Dubai, with more than 23 per cent of the work completed in addition to the piling phase. Located on Sheikh Zayed Road, on the banks of the Dubai Water Canal, Al Habtoor Tower is witnessing rapid development.

Emirati developer Binghatti has announced plans to launch a new mega development in Dubai, comprising a total of 1,666 residential units and 21 retail spaces, adjacent to Dubai Hills.  Binghatti Hills will draw inspiration from the natural contours of terrains.

UAE-based Alec Engineering and Contracting has announced that its joint venture with Lebanese builder Butec has secured the design-and-build contract for the first waste-to-energy (WtE) plant coming up in Abu Dhabi.

ARA Real Estate Development, a Core Holding subsidiary, has unveiled the Arabian Hills Estate, a master-planned, gated community in Abu Dhabi, at an exclusive event held in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. The company said it has assumed the full development and management responsibilities for the AED22-billion ($6 billion) project.

Dubai South Properties has awarded contracts worth AED1.5 billion (($408 million) to Al Kharafi Construction Company for the development of the third, fourth and fifth phase of its premium South Bay development.

Abu Dhabi-based Jubail Island Investment Company (JIIC) has announced the launch of its exclusive beachfront gated community – Bada Al Jubail – being set up at an investment of AED4 billion ($1.08 billion) within the Jubail Island development in Abu Dhabi.

Leading UAE developer Arada has awarded two contracts worth AED615 million ($167.4 million) for the construction of all 565 homes within its premium community Azalea, the fourth phase of Masaar, a megaproject based in the Suyoh district of Sharjah. Valued at AED9.

Mered, a prominent international real estate developer, has joined forces with Dutch Foundation Dubai (DFD), a leading full-service engineering foundation company, to break ground on its flagship UAE project – Iconic Tower – featuring 311 luxury apartments at Dubai Internet City.

UAE-based Azizi Developments made a number of key appointments on its premium development, Azizi Venice, located in Dubai South.  It has signed up British engineering firm Arup for the spatial planning of its state-of-the-art opera house and appointed designers for buildings within the AED30-billion ($8.16 billion) mixed-use project.

The railway project between Oman and the UAE has now entered into the implementation phase, said Ahmed Al Musawa Al Hashemi, a top official of Oman and Etihad Rail Company, which has now been rebranded as Hafeet Rail.

Dubai Investments has broken ground on its residential and hotel towers project located in Ras Al Khaimah, spanning a 90,000-sq-m area, with 40,000 sq m of beaches featuring 189 villas.