Middle East Construction
flydubai's $190 million aircraft maintenance centre at Dubai South nears completion
By Staff Writer | 24 October 2026
Construction of the airline's 32,600 square metre maintenance base beside Al Maktoum International Airport is on course to finish by the end of 2026, with the centre due to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2027.
flydubai's new aircraft maintenance centre at Dubai South is close to the end of its construction phase. The airline's senior leadership, led by chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith, inspected the site with the project management team this week, and the airline said the building remains on schedule to be finished by the end of this year.
The centre stands on a 32,600 square metre plot at the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub, next to Al Maktoum International Airport. Ground was broken in 2025. The airline describes the project as a $190 million investment programme and one of its largest infrastructure investments to date.
What is being built
The facility has been designed around the airline's growing fleet. It includes heavy maintenance hangars, engineering support workshops, warehousing for materials management and an administrative block. Once it is running, the centre will house 400 skilled technical staff, and the airline will carry out work in-house that it does not currently do for itself.
Al Ghaith was joined on the inspection by chief commercial officer Hamad Obaidalla, chief procurement and technology officer Mohammed Hareb AlMheiri, chief operations officer Mick Hills and chief financial officer Francois Oberholzer.
The progress of our Aircraft Maintenance Centre at Dubai South highlights a major milestone in flydubai's journey towards operational self-sufficiency and long-term capability building. As our fleet and destination network continue to scale, bringing dedicated maintenance capabilities in-house gives us greater flexibility, resilience and operational efficiency.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai
From handover to operation
After construction, the project moves into an extended phase of operational readiness, systems integration and technical commissioning. The airline expects the centre to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2027.
The staffing will be supported by the airline's existing Engineering Apprentice Programme, which trains aircraft maintenance engineers. The fleet the centre will serve is growing quickly. flydubai flies to more than 125 destinations and has more than 300 aircraft on order, including 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners due from early 2028. It expects to take 11 Boeing 737s during 2026, which will bring its fleet to 100 aircraft.
What it means for the trades
The gap between the end of the build and full operation is where the specialist packages earn their keep. Hangar doors, fire suppression, compressed air, ground power and the building management systems all have to be tested against an operator's requirements before the first aircraft is rolled in, and a quarter of commissioning leaves little room for snagging that slips.
For contractors and consultants working at Dubai South, a project of this kind on a fixed opening date is also a reference point. An airline that builds and then runs its own maintenance base will judge the work by how the hangars perform in service, which is where any argument about defects or delay will be decided.