On the first day of the Dubai Airshow, Boeing delivered a major blow on Monday with the announcement of a massive order for 65 copies of the 777X, a modernized version of America’s giant wide-body airliner, from Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline.
The interest of Gulf companies is also driving aviation maintenance activity. “When Emirates ordered a large number of 777Xs, this created a huge need for support. These aircraft are equipped with the largest engines in the world, each weighing eight tonnes. It would be unimaginable to transport them from one end of the planet to the other, you have to have a local presence”explains Cédric Barbe, CEO of Dedienne Aerospace.
The Toulouse-based mid-sized company, which specializes in aviation maintenance equipment and employs almost 600 employees worldwide, benefited from hosting the Dubai Airshow with significant investment in its factories in the Middle East. Dedienne Aerospace will expand its Dubai location next year by moving to a larger facility of 5,000 m². This location will allow very fast delivery of aviation maintenance equipment and expansion of the service area to facilitate interventions with airlines, MROs and lessors in the region.
