The aviation city rising from the desert

On the vast desert of Dubai World Centre, a groundbreaking super project that shocked the global aviation industry has officially begun. On May 18, 2026 local time, the groundbreaking ceremony for the maintenance hangar project of Emirates Airport, which was constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation, was held. Chinese and Arab guests, including Sheikh Ahmed, Chairman of Emirates Airlines Group, and Dai Hegen, Chairman of China Railway Construction Corporation, witnessed this historic moment together.

The total construction area of the project is about 1.21 million square meters, equivalent to 170 standard football fields, with a total investment of over 5 billion US dollars (about 34 billion yuan), making it the largest order for Chinese enterprises to go global in recent years. After completion, it can simultaneously accommodate 28 wide body passenger aircraft for maintenance, with a scale twice that of the world's largest operating hangar, making it a fully functional aviation maintenance city.

Four of the world's most innovative limits

As the core project for upgrading the UAE's national aviation industry, the project boasts four global records in terms of scale, technology, integration, and construction, each representing the world's top level.

The largest scale: 8 maintenance hangars and 2 painting hangars are built simultaneously, with a super large space of 1.21 million square meters, far exceeding the scope of ordinary industrial buildings.

The highest technical level: adopting European, American, and international aviation standards, challenging the world's largest pillarless hangar at 285 meters and obtaining LEED Platinum green certification.

The most integrated system: integrating 16 major civil aviation specialized systems such as docks, power supplies, and fire protection, with complex interfaces and rare integration difficulties worldwide.

The most difficult construction is the 285 meter span steel truss beam with a single weight of 2000 tons, which needs to be lifted as a whole; The surface temperature is as high as 60 ℃, and the extreme temperature difference and yellow sand test the construction ability.

The benchmark of China Arab cooperation rewrites the industrial pattern

The project is located in the core area of Dubai World Centre, guarding the throat of Asia, Europe, and Africa aviation, and is a key supporting facility for Dubai South City Al Maktoum International Airport. The annual passenger throughput of the airport will reach 260 million, which is five times that of the existing Dubai airport. The project will support its development into a global aviation maintenance hub. Keywords: Dubai, Super Engineering

As a landmark project of pragmatic cooperation after the China Arab States Summit, this project is a milestone for China Construction to enter the high-end infrastructure market in the Middle East. China Railway Construction Corporation, with its ability to handle large-scale projects, has helped the United Arab Emirates achieve economic diversification, promote industrial transformation in the post oil era in the Middle East, and inject strong impetus into the construction of a China Arab community with a shared future. (This article is from the official website www.seetao.com of Jian Dao. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website video column Editor/Wu Zhiqiang