GE Aerospace has announced a $10 million investment in its two maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in the Middle East. 

 

Investments made in 2024 and 2025 support the GE Aerospace On Wing Support (OWS) facilities in Dubai, UAE and Doha, Qatar, providing new tooling and equipment, infrastructure improvements, and enhanced training capabilities. 

 

In addition, the sites will see a planned 30% increase in headcount, as well as funding for the exploration of additional regional investment opportunities. These improvements aim to directly support local airlines by increasing capacity and operational efficiency while contributing to the region’s aviation ecosystem, the company said on the sidelines of MRO Middle East. 

 

“Airlines in the region have ambitious growth plans that depend on keeping engines on wing and operating efficiently,” said Aziz Koleilat, President and CEO, Middle East, Türkiye, and CIS for GE Aerospace. “Expanding our MRO capacity means we can work on more engines, and there is more we can do to those engines. It is part of our commitment to meeting our local customers’ needs and expectations during a critical period for the industry.” 

 

With the investment in tooling and infrastructure, additional quick-turn maintenance tasks can be performed closer to where airlines in the Middle East are located. The OWS facilities will now be able to perform additional work scopes on the CFM LEAP engine, including durability improvements, module level disassembly, and work to the hot section of the engine, cutting downtime and increasing flexibility for airlines. (CFM International is a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. LEAP is a registered trademark of CFM).

 

Training is also an important element of this investment. By adding team members and training modules, including using a fully equipped training engine, the On Wing Support facilities will be able to bring new employees on board and support them in reaching certification levels more quickly, it said.

 

“This investment reflects our commitment to deliver for our customers in the Middle East. As supply chain challenges continue to impact airlines globally, we are moving proactively to grow our capabilities to support an increase in capacity. By committing these resources, we can ultimately deliver greater value,” said Alex Henderson, Global On Wing Support Leader for GE Aerospace.

 

This investment is part of GE Aerospace’s global, multiyear $1 billion MRO spending surge that was announced in 2024. The goal is to ensure MRO facilities in the region have the capacity to meet growing demand for services across the GE Aerospace and CFM installed base (.

 

The facilities are leveraging Flight Deck, the proprietary GE Aerospace lean operating model that uses tools and approaches – including a Safety Management System and Quality Management System – to help drive continuous improvement. By identifying waste and other inefficiencies, the teams can improve safety, quality, and delivery to further support this investment.

 

Currently, more than 20 airlines in the Middle East, Türkiye & CIS region fly more than 750 LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines. The investment is also preparing GE Aerospace’s facilities to handle the arrival of the world’s largest and most powerful commercial jet engine, the GE9X engine, which will power the Boeing 777X. Globally, the Middle East is the largest market for GE9X engine orders. -TradeArabia News Service