00:00It can be hard keeping up with the world's biggest international airline.
00:17As Emirates Airline continues to expand its fleet, it is also constantly investing in
00:22new technology and manpower to maintain the standard of services that has made it one
00:28of the leading airlines in the world.
00:30One of the unsung heroes that plays a big role in making Emirates one of the world's
00:34best is the engineering department.
00:36Emirates employs 5,500 people in its engineering building at the northeast corner of Dubai
00:41International Airport.
00:43Emirates Engineering, which includes 1,200 engineers, along with many others with expertise
00:48in diverse disciplines such as painting and software, is responsible for making sure the
00:54aircraft doesn't stay on the ground for long.
00:56It's like a car really.
00:58So if you've got a car brand new, when you first get it, it goes to the garage, you get
01:02it back in half a day.
01:04An airplane is similar.
01:06We operate on flying hours rather than miles or kilometers.
01:10And as the aircraft gets older, it needs more because the work pack is bigger.
01:15You have to do more inspections, opening up to get inside and do things.
01:20So as it gets older, it spends more time having the maintenance done.
01:26To cut down on time spent waiting for parts, Emirates stores on-site thousands of spare
01:31parts, which include nearly everything from engine thrusters, structural components, wheels
01:37and even nuts and bolts.
01:39Up to 97% spare parts needed are available on-site.
01:42During GNTV's visit, two Airbus A380s were in the engineering shop for maintenance check.
01:48It can take around 30 days to service an A380 and 50 to 55 days for a major service
01:53and complete interior refurbishment.
01:56That can be a long time, but with Emirates operating the world's largest A380 fleet,
02:01with 66 to date, the airline can afford to be flexible.
02:05The hangar team have a huge amount of structural inspections, modifications, service bulletins
02:11to bring the aircraft.
02:12This is an early model, so there's sort of improvements to the aircraft that have been
02:19going on since they've been delivered.
02:22And now we get an opportunity to upgrade the systems, a lot of the components to the more
02:27recent standard.
02:28There's been quite a large group on here from Airbus working alongside us, doing some of
02:35the specific modifications and service improvements, which they have been working on on Emirates'
02:42behalf.
02:43Inside the aircraft, a complete refurbishment means stripping the aircraft of all seats
02:47and in-flight amenities, replacing them with the latest product offering.
02:51The airline's attention to detail is meticulous.
02:54There are staff constantly checking and servicing in-flight coffee machines, while subcontractors
02:59regularly check the durability of seatbelts, life jackets, survival kits, and other safety
03:05equipment.
03:06There are also stretchers and even baby incubators.
03:09Elsewhere on site is a facility where aircraft are repainted, which happens around every
03:14seven years.
03:15It is an arduous and lengthy job that requires a team of 30 and consumes one ton of paint
03:20and workers on the job 24 hours a day.
03:23It takes more than 10 days to paint a Boeing 777.
03:27For an Airbus A380, a team of 35 will use 2.5 tons of paint working over 20 days and
03:3324 hours a day.
03:35Each aircraft in Emirates' fleet of 238 needs to be painted in such a way that the logo
03:41on the side and the UAE flag on the tail all line up when the aircraft is parked at the
03:46airport.
03:47Ayrish Iden-Beliaza for Gulf News.
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