Dubai AirshowEmirates to begin in-house Trent 900 overhaul for A380 fleet from 2027
Emirates and Rolls-Royce have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Dubai Airshow to enable the carrier to perform in-house maintenance on Trent 900 engines powering its Airbus A380 fleet starting in 2027.
The agreement will see Emirates establish a new dedicated facility to support the carrier’s long-term commitment to operating the A380 fleet well into the 2040s.
Emirates will conduct fan case repairs at its new site, while Rolls-Royce will retain responsibility for module repair capability within its global service network.
The move comes as Emirates, the world’s largest A380 operator with 116 aircraft, seeks to secure its engine maintenance needs independently as part of its operational strategy.
“With Emirates’ plans to continue operating our Airbus A380 fleet into the 2040s, we wanted to secure our own engine maintenance capabilities. We are pleased to sign this agreement with Rolls-Royce which takes our partnership further. We will be working closely with their team to bring the latest engine MRO capabilities into our facilities as part of our expansion of Emirates’ Engineering Maintenance Centre (EEMC),” said Ahmed Safa, Emirates’ Head of Engineering and MRO.
“Today’s announcement marks another milestone in our journey to significantly increase our global MRO capacity and capability by 2030. Our global network combines a strong mix of Rolls-Royce owned facilities, joint ventures and strategic collaborations with industry partners. We are delighted to welcome Emirates to that mix ahead of the new facility opening in 2027,” added Paul Keenan, Director – Commercial Aviation Aftermarket Operations, Rolls-Royce.
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