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Crusoe Osagie
Emirates Airlines has awarded a reputable Civil Engineering firm the contract to build its $100 million state-of-the-art engine maintenance centre.
The airline disclosed that the proposed 225,000-sq. ft. Engine Overhaul Shop, slated to be the most technologically-advanced in the region, will be an engine maintenance facility for maintaining the GE90 and GP7200 engines that power Emirates aircraft.
Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, announced the selection of Khansaheb to build the facility which will service the engines of the Emirates current fleet of nearly 150 Boeing 777s and Airbus 380s, as well as the additional 138 more of these aircraft types on order.
The airline said that the facility which is presently under construction and scheduled to be operational in the second quarter of 2014 will provide Emirates with the maintenance capabilities needed to assure continued safe operation of the engines powering the majority of the Emirates fleet.
“The Engine Overhaul Shop valued at $100 million will be managed by General Electric International (GE), Inc. and was designed by US-based Burns and McDonnell Corp; the facility will support the maintenance of up to 300 engines per year. Our partner, GE, will oversee the design and construction of the Shop; utilising the most advanced technology, equipment and industry best practices in managing engine repairs,” the airline said.
Emirates said it reviewed and approved the selection of Khansaheb after a thorough and rigorous evaluation of numerous highly-qualified candidate construction companies across the UAE.
According to the Airline, “Khansaheb Civil Engineering, which has been in operation since 1935, is a well-established and highly-regarded construction company operating in Dubai, the UAE and the MENA region.”
Emirates Executive Vice President, Ali Mubarak Al Sorri, also noted that with the selection of Khansaheb, a professional organisation based in the UAE, plus the expected Emiratis hired for positions at the new facility, the Engine Overhaul Shop will benefit all parties involved.
“Our new Engine Overhaul Shop will expand our ability to maintain and repair the thousands engines powering Emirates Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft. With the rapid expansion of Emirates over the past few years and further rigorous expansion scheduled, Emirates needed a way to better control maintenance costs while assuring safe and efficient operation of our fleet,” he said.
Al Sorri pointed out that in addition to supporting Emirates’ fleet of over 120 Boeing 777s and 28 Airbus 380s, the new maintenance facility will support the Dubai economy by adding as many as 500 new engine maintenance positions for highly-skilled staff within Emirates, many of which are available for UAE Nationals.
“The Engine Overhaul Shop will complement the state-of-the-art Emirates Engine Test Centre; a 150,000-pound thrust capacity engine test facility already in operation 40 kilometres outside of the city of Dubai,” Al Sorri said.