Emirates completes 21 aircraft 'make-overs' in 2013

Emirates operates the world's largest fleets of A380s and Boeing 777s, and to serve these aircraft, it runs the world's largest state-of-the-art aircraft paint hangar owned by an airline. Located at Dubai International Airport, Emirates' paint hanger is more than twice the size of a football field, and has been designed to deliver quality that even exceeds the standards of aircraft manufacturers. In 2013, Emirates' advanced paint hangar completely stripped 21 aircraft (or nearly 10% of its fleet) of exterior paint and gave them a brand new coat. It took 6,550 hours in total, or 273 days and nights of non-stop stripping and repainting, to complete these make-overs. In addition to these major projects, the paint shop was kept fully engaged with over 60,000 other paint touch-up jobs on the exteriors and interiors of the aircraft, as well as cabin items. "Our aircraft livery is one of the most recognisable and visible aspects of our brand. It is what people see in the sky, and the first thing our passengers see at their boarding gates. We take pride in maintaining our aircraft to the highest possible standards, and it is important our planes look pristine on the outside as well as on the inside," said Adel Al Redha, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Emirates. "It's not just about looking good. The paint coat has to withstand fierce weather conditions, including severe wind, bitter cold and searing heat, and an exterior coat that is clean of debris and imperfections improves aerodynamics and reduces fuel consumption. Emirates already flies a young and efficient fleet, but with fuel prices at consistently high levels, every little bit of efficiency counts," he added. Emirates' paint hanger uses the latest technologies and systems including fully-controlled environments that regulate temperature, humidity and airflow - all of which are critical factors for the perfect glossy coat.