GE Expands 9X Engine's Middle East Support Network

GE Aerospace is expanding its product support bandwidth in the Middle East with plans to build a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Dubai for the GE9X turbofan that will power Boeing’s 777X family of widebody airliners, as well as existing CFM International Leap engines. The manufacturer announced the $50 million investment on Sunday and expects to have the On-Wing Support facility in Dubai South’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub operational by the first quarter of 2027.

The leased building will cover 120,000 sq ft, replacing GE’s existing 29,000 sq ft location in Dubai. It is part of the engine maker’s global MRO network that also includes facilities in Qatar, the UK, the U.S., China, and Singapore.

With service entry for the new 777-9 aircraft still more than a year away in 2027, GE is taking full advantage of the extra time resulting from multiple delays at Boeing to maximise the 9X’s reliability. In a briefing last week, Carlos Perez, GE's v-p for commercial engines and services engineering, said the turbofan was designed from the start to have a simple architecture with minimal components as part of a concerted effort to achieve the longest possible time on wing.

New technologies, including advanced additives and ceramic matrix composites developed for both the 9X and Leap, are also key aspects of the reliability equation. Improvements to the design of the 9X’s fan blades, with optimized cooling and geometric contours that GE validated through extensive testing, are expected to double reliability for this part of the propulsion system.

Dealing With the Desert

With around two-thirds of the 777X aircraft on order destined for airlines in the Middle East, the environmental challenges posed by heat and sand are a point of particular attention for GE. Christina Seda-Hoelle, general manager for the 9X program, told reporters that with one set of dust ingestion testing already complete, the company is conducting a second round in the remainder of this year with a third series to come in 2026 as it seeks to fully understand the reliability impact of sand and how it can be mitigated.

GE “engineers” dust samples to simulate the variations in sand characteristics found in locations as close as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. At its headquarters in Ohio, the manufacturer runs cycles with complete engines that simulate local conditions for different operators in processes that include spraying fine dust directly into the fans.

Now nearly five years since the 9X achieved FAA type certification, GE is working on securing extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS) approval for oceanic flights even before the first of the new-generation 777s enter service. The first production engine shipped to Boeing in the third quarter of 2024.

The 9X has already completed more than 30,000 cycles of testing, including 9,000 endurance cycles. This work has involved 11 engines flown on five 777X prototypes, logging around 1,500 flights and 4,000 hours. By the time the 777-9 enters service, GE expects to have achieved 40,000 cycles and 19,000 flight hours.