Emirates has broken ground on a $5.1bn aircraft engineering complex at Dubai South, billed as the world’s largest and most advanced maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, the carrier said in a statement on May 18 seen by Emerging Travel.
The facility is being built by China Railway Construction Corporation, with Artelia appointed as project consultants. Construction is expected to be completed by the middle of 2030.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, Emirates Airline president Tim Clark, Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South executive chairman Khalifa Al Zaffin, and China Railway Construction Corporation chairman Dai Hegen.
The complex will span 1.1mn square metres, making it one of the largest buildings in the world by volume and the largest steel structure in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. It will house the only hangar complex able to service 28 wide-body aircraft simultaneously, alongside the world’s largest free-span hangar at 285 metres wide and the largest dedicated landing gear workshop.
The site will also include 77,000 square metres of workshop space, 380,000 square metres of storage and logistics capacity, two paint hangars and a 50,000 square metre administrative building, with all facilities targeting a LEED Platinum sustainability rating.
Sheikh Ahmed said the investment strengthened Emirates Engineering’s vertical integration strategy and positioned the airline as an engineering partner for the regional and global aviation industry.
“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, and lays the foundations for the next chapter of growth for Dubai, the UAE and the wider MRO industry,” Sheikh Ahmed said.
Al Zaffin said the project advanced the aviation infrastructure around Al Maktoum International Airport, which is set to become the world’s largest once completed.
Dai said the project reflected cooperation between China and the UAE, aligning with what he described as the consensus reached by the two countries’ leaders.
The hangar complex will initially handle heavy maintenance and spillover work from the Emirates Engineering Centre at Dubai International Airport.
Why it matters for the trade
The facility is a long-term capacity play tied to Emirates’ shift of operations to Al Maktoum International, which Dubai is building out as its primary airport. For the wider trade, a larger in-house MRO base reduces the carrier’s reliance on third-party maintenance slots and positions Dubai to take on engineering work for other airlines, deepening the emirate’s standing as an aviation hub rather than purely a passenger gateway.