Emirates, Boeing partner to advance aircraft maintenance

Image courtesy: Chan Long Hei/ Getty Images

Emirates Airline has partnered with Boeing to leverage advanced digital technologies to accelerate aircraft maintenance operations.

The partnership will focus on key areas including drone-assisted aircraft inspections, and sharpening the precision and effectiveness of maintenance tasks through the use of virtual and augmented reality.

Emirates said the integration of drone technology for maintenance tasks represents a leap forward for the carrier. Drone technology will speed up exterior inspections on wide-body aircraft utilising ultra-high resolution cameras with the capability to reach every angle of the aircraft to detect surface imperfections.

The use of mixed reality, augmented reality and virtual reality visual tools means engineers can investigate the innermost workings of any part of an aircraft and other intricacies.

“These technologies promise to deliver more precise and comprehensive aircraft inspections, reduce the risk of human error, and significantly cut down the time aircraft spend out of service,” the carrier said in a statement.

Furthermore, Boeing’s next-generation prognostic and predictive maintenance technology leverages advanced analytics and prognostic insights, enabling the airline to make more informed fleet maintenance decisions.

Emirates Engineering supports one of the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft. The department’s 400,000 square metre facility features 12 hangars which form the largest free-spanned structures in the Middle East.

Emirates’ mega-deals at Dubai Airshow

Meanwhile, Emirates kickstarted  Dubai Airshow 2023 with an order for 95 Boeing aircraft worth a whopping $52bn.

The state-owned airline ordered 55 additional Boeing 777-9s and 35 of its 777-8s, bringing the airline’s total orders for the 777X wide-body jets to 205 units. It updated its order of Boeing 787 Dreamliners from 30 to 35, comprised of 15 787-10s and 20 787-8s.

Emirates also confirmed its order of a further 202 GE9X engines, the engines that will power the new 777X aircraft, from General Electric, bringing its total order to 460.

The carrier agreed to buy an additional 15 A350-900 model aircraft from Europe’s Airbus and the new commitment adds to 50 of the same plane that Emirates previously ordered. The carrier will take delivery of the first aircraft in August 2024 and the handovers will stretch into early 2028.

Emirates said its record orders during the Dubai Airshow are aimed at expanding its fleet and powering the airline’s future growth plans in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).

Read: Emirates confirms $52bn widebody aircraft order