The newly launched Dubai World Central Aviation City, which will be home to the largest maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre in the world, has signed a third deal at the Dubai Air Show 2007. Under the agreement, Livewel Aviation Services will invest US$ 80 million in a 23,960 square metre MRO facility within DWC Aviation City’s area which will be operational by 2009.

 

"India’s expertise in the US$ 41 billion global MRO market is highly respected worldwide and our agreement with Livewel will bring in the right resources, and personnel to this region," said Abdulla Al Qurashi, CEO, DWC Aviation City.

"With the Middle East MRO market growing at 8% annually over the next five years, DWC Aviation City has been launched at an appropriate time as demand is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate. With newly placed airline orders every year the region’s aviation services industry is taking off to a good start."

DWC Aviation City will be the region’s premier centre of excellence for aviation manufacturing, MRO, aviation support services and consultancy, research and development, training, aviation products and parts and high tech industries.

Livewel’s facilities will carry out aircraft heavy maintenance for wide and narrow bodied type of aircrafts, making it a preferred aircraft maintenance company in the region for airlines. The MRO will employ approximately 500 aviation professionals during the first year of operations and will cater to customer airlines within Middle East, India and Europe.

"The MRO will focus on cabin interior refurbishment, aircraft painting, meeting international aviation certification standards," said M F Daver, Chairman and Managing Director, Livewel Group. "The MRO facility will be a modern state of the art two bay wide-bodied aircraft hangar large enough to accommodate the A-380."

Al Maktoum International Airport goes live with initial operations by end-2008 and has been designed to handle in excess of 120 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo annually. Infrastructure costs for Dubai World Central currently stand at AED 120 billion (US$ 33 billion).