GE Aerospace to invest $10m in Middle East amid regional manufacturing boost

As well as investment in its Dubai and Doha hubs, plans are afoot to increase the workforce by 30%

GE Aerospace has been working with commercial airlines in the Middle East for more than 40 years, backed by an on-wing support plant in Dubai. Photo: GE Aerospace

Aircraft engine supplier GE Aerospace is boosting its operations in the Middle East with an additional $10 million of investment, aiming to support the region's manufacturing push.

It is part of GE Aerospace’s global and multiyear $1 billion maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) spending commitment it announced in 2024, which aims to ensure that its facilities in the Middle East have the capacity to meet growing demand for services across the installed base of GE Aerospace and CFM, its joint venture with France's Safran Aircraft Engines.

As well as investing in its hubs in Dubai and Doha, plans are afoot to increase the US company's workforce by 30 per cent, in addition to providing funding for other potential investment opportunities in the region, GE Aerospace announced on the sidelines of the MRO Middle East aviation summit in Dubai on Monday.

“Airlines in the region have ambitious growth plans that depend on keeping engines on wing and operating efficiently,” Aziz Koleilat, GE Aerospace's president and chief executive for the Middle East, Turkey and the CIS, said in a statement.

“Expanding our MRO capacity means we can work on more engines and there is more we can do to those engines. It is part of our commitment to meeting our local customers’ needs and expectations during a critical period for the industry.”

Regional airlines, particularly in the Gulf, had a strong year of profitability amid consistent strong demand for air travel, a push to increase international tourist arrivals, investment in airport upgrades and government policies designed to boost the aviation sector's contribution to the GDP.

Airlines in the Middle East earned the highest profit per passenger for any region at $21.10, about triple the average for global airlines, in 2024, the International Air Transport Association said in December.

In terms of passenger demand, airlines in the Middle East last year posted a 9.4 per cent annual rise in traffic, climbing 7.7 per cent in December alone, contributing to a record year in 2024, in which global full-year traffic soared 10.4 per cent over the previous year, which was also 3.8 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, the Geneva-based body said last month.

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Global cargo traffic also hit a high last year, with the Middle East posting a 13 per cent growth year-on-year, Iata said.

"As supply chain challenges continue to impact airlines globally, we are moving proactively to grow our capabilities to support an increase in capacity", said Alex Henderson, the company's general manager of on-wing support leader.

The company's investment is expected to boost quick-turn maintenance tasks, which can then be performed closer to where airlines in the Middle East are based, GE Aerospace said.

The facilities will now be able to perform additional work scopes on CFM Leap engines. Currently, more than 750 Leap-1A and Leap-1B engines are used by more than 20 airlines in the Middle East, Turkey and CIS region.

The investment is also preparing GE Aerospace’s facilities to handle the arrival of the world’s largest and most powerful commercial jet engine, the GE9X, which will power the Boeing 777X. The Middle East is the largest market globally for GE9X engine orders, the company said.

In addition, GE Aerospace will also be boosting training, it said.

"By adding team members and training modules, including using a fully equipped training engine, the on-wing support facilities will be able to bring new employees on board and support them in reaching certification levels more quickly," the company said.