Emirates has plans to add significant MRO capacity in Dubai by breaking ground on its $5.1 billion investment in an engineering complex.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility at the Dubai South complex was held May 18 and was attended by company and government executives. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2030 and will be delivered by China Railway Construction Corporation, a Chinese state-owned construction and engineering company.
Once built, Emirates’ complex will span 11.8 million ft.2 and will be among the world’s largest buildings by volume, according to Emirates. The construction includes a hangar with capacity to service 28 Emirates-operated widebody aircraft simultaneously, along with two painting hangars. Other features of the facility include dedicated landing gear workshops, around 830,000 ft.2 of repair space, and four million ft.2 of storage and logistics capacity.
A purpose-built administrative building for Emirates Engineering staff will support the technical facilities across 540,000 ft.2 of office space, along with 162,000 ft.2 of on-site training facilities.
Once operational, the hangar complex will initially start servicing aircraft requiring heavy maintenance and spillover projects from the Emirates Engineering Center at Dubai International Airport (DXB).
“The new facility strengthens Emirates Engineering’s vertical integration strategy by bringing more skills, infrastructure, parts production, and specialist capabilities under one roof, while positioning the airline to serve as a strategic engineering partner for the future requirements of the regional and global aviation industry,” said Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and Group.
The announcement follows last week’s signing of an agreement between Emirates Engineering and GE Aerospace to develop piece-part repair capability for the GE90 and Engine Alliance GP7200 engines.
Both parties will support the $300 million expansion of the Emirates Engine Maintenance Center at DXB. The investment will scale up infrastructure and capabilities to conduct MRO services on Emirates’ fleet of aircraft and their engines.
Another expansion is into services for the Rolls-Royce Trent 900, the engine rival to the GP7200 on the A380 program. In November 2025, Emirates confirmed it had joined the Rolls-Royce aftermarket network and would begin servicing its in-fleet Trent 900 engines from 2027.
The airline plans to induct its first engine at a designated engine shop in Dubai, located at its existing maintenance site, and will conduct fan case repairs at the facility, while Rolls-Royce will maintain module repair capability within the global network.
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