Emirates starts work on $5bn maintenance facility

• Complex expected to open in 2030
• Room for 28 aircraft simultaneously
• ‘Largest steel structure in the GCC’

Dubai flag carrier Emirates has broken ground on a $5 billion engineering complex at Dubai South, with completion expected in 2030.

The complex will become “the world’s most modern and advanced maintenance, repairs and overhaul (MRO) facility”, the state-backed airline said.

The construction contract was awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation, while France’s Artelia is the project consultant.

Emirates Group chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the facility will strengthen the airline’s vertical integration strategy for engineering by bringing more skills, infrastructure, parts production and specialist capabilities under one roof.

The facility will span 1.1 million square metres, becoming “one of the largest buildings in the world by volume and the largest steel structure in the GCC”.

It will also be the world’s only hangar complex with the ability simultaneously to service 28 wide-body aircraft, including two painting hangars.

The facility will include the world’s largest free-span hangar and landing gear workshop, as well as 380,000 square metres of storage and logistics capacity.

The hangar will initially start servicing aircraft requiring heavy maintenance and will take on spillover projects from the Emirates Engineering Centre at Dubai International Airport, the company said.

In November 2023, Emirates announced a $950 million investment to build a new engineering facility at Dubai World Central.

The airline said in January that it was building a cabin crew village in Dubai Investments Park to accommodate up to 12,000 employees.

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Earlier this month, the airline, widely seen as a bellwether for global aviation demand, said profit before tax rose 7 percent to AED22.8 billion ($6.2 billion) in the year to March 31 despite months of disruption caused by the Iran conflict and mounting pressure from volatile jet fuel markets.

Revenue rose 2 percent to AED131 billion, while cash assets climbed 10 percent to a record AED55 billion.

The airline received 15 Airbus A350 aircraft during the year, bringing the total to 19 as of March 31.

Total fleet count was 277 units, with an average fleet age of 10.8 years.