Dubai-based carrier Emirates said on Monday it had broken ground on a $5.1 billion engineering complex at Dubai South, a project the airline described as being set to become the world’s largest and most advanced aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility.

The new engineering complex, announced in a press release issued by Emirates on Monday, is expected to strengthen the airline’s maintenance capabilities and reinforce Dubai’s ambitions to position itself as a global aviation hub. They plan to complete construction of the facility by mid-2030.

Located near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai South, the facility will span 1.1 million square metres and feature the capacity to simultaneously service up to 28 wide-body aircraft, including Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s, alongside two aircraft paint hangars.

Emirates said the engineering centre would be built by China Railway Construction Corporation, with project consultancy handled by Artelia. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates President Tim Clark, Dubai South Executive Chairman Khalifa Al Zaffin and China Railway Construction Corporation Chairman Dai Hegen.

Sheikh Ahmed said the project marked a “strategic step forward” for Dubai’s aviation ambitions, adding that the facility would strengthen Emirates Engineering’s capacity by bringing additional technical skills, infrastructure, and specialist services under one roof.

“This latest investment also aligns directly with Dubai Economic Agenda D33, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global economic hub and centre of aviation excellence,” he said.

Khalifa Al Zaffin said the project would support the expansion of aviation infrastructure surrounding Al Maktoum International Airport, which Dubai plans to develop into one of the world’s largest airports.

World-class Infrastructure

Emirates’ new engineering facility at Dubai South will span a staggering 1.1 million square metres, making it one of the largest buildings in the world by volume and the largest steel structure in the GCC. The facility will also feature the world’s only hangar complex with the ability to simultaneously service 28 wide-body aircraft and two painting hangars. Other notable features of the mega-facility include

-          The largest free-span hangar in the world at a width of 285 metres

-          The largest dedicated landing gear workshop in the world

-          77,000 sq. metres of dedicated workshop space for repairs and maintenance

-          380,000 sq. metres of storage and logistics capacity

-          Two state-of-the-art paint hangars to service Emirates’ fleet of wide-body aircraft with extended capacity to also handle narrow-body aircraft.

The technical facilities will be supported by a new dedicated administrative building for Emirates Engineering, providing 50,000 sq. metres of office space and 15,000 sq. metres of training facilities as well as a gateway facility that will control airside access.

Emirates’ new engineering complex at Dubai South is also expected to set new benchmarks for sustainability, with all project facilities targeting a LEED Platinum rating and with solar panels installed on the roofs across the complex, among other initiatives.

The project comes as Gulf carriers continue investing heavily in aviation infrastructure to meet rising passenger demand and support long-term fleet expansion strategies.

Source: Emirates PR