Presently under construction and scheduled to be operational in the second quarter of 2014, the Engine Overhaul Shop will provide Emirates with the maintenance capabilities needed to assure continued safe operation of the engines powering the majority of the Emirates fleet. Managed by General Electric International (GE), Inc. and designed by US-based Burns and McDonnell Corp., the facility is valued at US $100 million and will support the maintenance of up to 300 engines per year. Emirates 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. “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,” said Ali Mubarak Al Sorri, Emirates Executive Vice President, Chairman’s Office, Facilities, Construction & Design, Procurement Management and Procurement & Logistics Non Aircraft. “With the selection of Khansaheb Civil Engineering, a professional organisation based in the UAE, plus the expected Emiratis hired for positions at the new facility, the Emirates Engine Overhaul Shop will benefit all parties involved.” Emirates reviewed and approved the selection of Khansaheb after a thorough and rigorous evaluation of numerous highly-qualified candidate construction companies across the UAE. A well-established and highly-regarded construction company operating in Dubai, the UAE and the MENA region, Khansaheb Civil Engineering has been in operation since 1935. 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.