Goodrich is closing one of the gaps in its international coverage with the opening of a 115,000ft² (10,700m²) maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Dubai.
The new site, located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, is just a few hundred yards from the perimeter of the gigantic new Dubai World Central airport, which is due to open in 2009.
Goodrich has been operating for the past year in a much smaller, shared facility. Ground for the new plant was broken in February this year, the workforce moved in three weeks ago and it is already operational. The official opening is scheduled for this Wednesday. Construction of the new building in just eight months by the Jebel Ali Free Zone authorities was a “remarkable achievement”, says NS (Pandri) Pandarinath, vice-president MRO, Europe, Middle East and Africa for Goodrich Customer Services.
Goodrich has taken a long-term lease of the building and the land on which its stands. It will be capable of servicing Boeing 737, 747,757, 767 and 787 aircraft, plus the Airbus A300, A310, A320 family, A330/340 and the new A380 ordered by, among others, Emirates. It will also be able to handle the Embraer 170/190 series, plus executive jets such as the Gulfstream 1 to V and the Dassault Falcon series.
The MRO will repair and overhaul components such as landing gears, aerostructures such as nacelles and thrust reversers, plus interior equipment such as escape slides and lifejackets. It will also cater for equipment such as helicopter hoists and de-icing systems. Goodrich says it is the first major OEM MRO in the region.
Several of the region’s major carriers, including Emirates, Kuwait Airways, and Saudi Arabian Airlines, are already Goodrich customers. The opening of the MRO means that in future they will be able to have maintenance and overhaul support closer to their home bases.
Goodrich has traditionally focused its attention on North America and Europe, the major aviation hubs, says Pandarinath; over the past 10 years it has expanded its presence in Asia as carriers from that continent have expanded their influence on the world airline market, but the Middle East has hitherto been a gap in the company’s coverage.
However, with the Middle East having had the highest average growth rate in air travel over the past five years - 12% year-on-year – the time is now right to set up an MRO facility here, he says. It involved a $25 million investment by Goodrich.
While the bulk of the centre’s work will be civil, it is also planned that the centre will have the capability to furnish a spares and repair capability for military aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-16, Boeing F-18 and Panavia Tornado. While all three types are operated by Gulf air arms, “The US Air Force and UK Royal Air Force may want local support down here,” says Shane Tingey, director, sales and marketing for the Dubai facility.
The new site, located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, is just a few hundred yards from the perimeter of the gigantic new Dubai World Central airport, which is due to open in 2009.
Goodrich has been operating for the past year in a much smaller, shared facility. Ground for the new plant was broken in February this year, the workforce moved in three weeks ago and it is already operational. The official opening is scheduled for this Wednesday. Construction of the new building in just eight months by the Jebel Ali Free Zone authorities was a “remarkable achievement”, says NS (Pandri) Pandarinath, vice-president MRO, Europe, Middle East and Africa for Goodrich Customer Services.
Goodrich has taken a long-term lease of the building and the land on which its stands. It will be capable of servicing Boeing 737, 747,757, 767 and 787 aircraft, plus the Airbus A300, A310, A320 family, A330/340 and the new A380 ordered by, among others, Emirates. It will also be able to handle the Embraer 170/190 series, plus executive jets such as the Gulfstream 1 to V and the Dassault Falcon series.
The MRO will repair and overhaul components such as landing gears, aerostructures such as nacelles and thrust reversers, plus interior equipment such as escape slides and lifejackets. It will also cater for equipment such as helicopter hoists and de-icing systems. Goodrich says it is the first major OEM MRO in the region.
Several of the region’s major carriers, including Emirates, Kuwait Airways, and Saudi Arabian Airlines, are already Goodrich customers. The opening of the MRO means that in future they will be able to have maintenance and overhaul support closer to their home bases.
Goodrich has traditionally focused its attention on North America and Europe, the major aviation hubs, says Pandarinath; over the past 10 years it has expanded its presence in Asia as carriers from that continent have expanded their influence on the world airline market, but the Middle East has hitherto been a gap in the company’s coverage.
However, with the Middle East having had the highest average growth rate in air travel over the past five years - 12% year-on-year – the time is now right to set up an MRO facility here, he says. It involved a $25 million investment by Goodrich.
While the bulk of the centre’s work will be civil, it is also planned that the centre will have the capability to furnish a spares and repair capability for military aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-16, Boeing F-18 and Panavia Tornado. While all three types are operated by Gulf air arms, “The US Air Force and UK Royal Air Force may want local support down here,” says Shane Tingey, director, sales and marketing for the Dubai facility.
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Source: Flight Daily News
