Dubai South and Phoenix Aviation Sign Deal for Wide-Body MRO Facility at MBRAH, Due Q1 2029
Why It MattersPairing maintenance, cabin modification, completion and cargo conversion under one roof reflects how wide-body aftermarket work is being consolidated into integrated hubs that compete on capability breadth and handover logistics.
What happened
Dubai South and Phoenix Aviation have signed an agreement to develop a new airside facility at Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH), expanding specialised maintenance and aircraft services capacity in Dubai. Under the agreement, Phoenix Aviation will establish a centre of excellence for wide-body aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), cabin modifications, aircraft completion and cargo conversion.
The signing took place during MRO Europe in Amsterdam, in the presence of Nabil Alkindi, Group CEO of Dubai South, and Julian Ehrhard, President and CEO of Phoenix Aviation, alongside senior executives from both organisations.
The project is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2029. It will include a 35,000-square-metre aircraft hangar, an 18,000-square-metre delivery centre for aircraft handovers and storage, 15,000 square metres of workshops and stores, and 3,000 square metres of office space. The hangar will be designed to accommodate three wide-body aircraft, including models such as the Boeing 777X and Airbus A350.
The expansion will bring Phoenix Aviation's hangar capacity at MBRAH to two facilities, complementing its existing A380-compatible MRO hangar. The additional infrastructure is expected to strengthen Dubai South's aviation ecosystem and provide greater service capacity for airlines operating across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Nabil Alkindi said the agreement supports Dubai South's objective of building an integrated aviation ecosystem that attracts international investment and strengthens Dubai's position in the global aerospace industry, adding that the expansion reflects confidence in MBRAH's long-term development plans and facilities. Gilles Negre, Founder and Chairman of Phoenix Aviation, said the expansion is intended to address rising demand for wide-body aircraft services by bringing complementary capabilities together at one location.
Industry impact & what to watch
Wide-body aftermarket work has several strands that are traditionally scattered across different providers: heavy maintenance, cabin retrofits, completion of new aircraft and freighter conversion. Placing all of them on one airside site, next to a dedicated delivery centre, is a bet that airlines and lessors value shorter transfers between steps. For a hub like MBRAH, it also ties the airfield to the aircraft lifecycle from handover through modification to end-of-passenger-life conversion.
A hangar sized for three wide-bodies, including the 777X and A350, positions the site for the newest long-haul generation rather than only legacy fleets, while the existing A380-compatible hangar keeps the largest passenger type in scope. The customer geography Dubai South cites, spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, reflects Dubai's role as a connecting point between those regions.
The next verifiable milestone is the first-quarter 2029 completion date. Which airlines, lessors or cargo operators commit capacity at the new hangar will show how much of the planned wide-body demand is contracted rather than anticipated.
