Etihad Airways Engineering expands capability with new paint hangar

Etihad Airways Engineering, the Middle East's leading aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, MRO, provider, has expanded its existing capability for painting aircraft at premises adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport with the conversion of Hangar 5 into a state-of-the-art paint hangar.

The newly converted hangar has additional chillers installed for enhanced air conditioning and temperature control, improved thermal insulation, and an efficient drainage system to suit stripping and painting requirements. The hangar has also been equipped with an advanced aircraft docking system, which can be customised to serve different types of aircraft.

The addition of the new hangar effectively increases the area dedicated to painting facilities at Etihad Airways Engineering by150 percent, from 4,000 sq.m. to 10,000 sq.m..

The paint hangar also incorporates a large-format decal production facility, which will be used to repaint and rebrand Etihad Airways' entire fleet of 120 aircraft with its ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi' livery and branding over the coming months.

Aircraft belonging to Etihad Airways' partners and other airline customers also undergo repainting and maintenance operations at the Etihad Airways Engineering facility.

Jeff Wilkinson, Senior Vice President Technical, Etihad Airways, said, "We have significantly increased our aircraft painting capacity with the introduction of a new paint hangar as we continue to expand our MRO capability on new aircraft platforms.

"The team at Etihad Airways Engineering has the experience, expertise and equipment to undertake all kinds of heavy maintenance and aircraft painting for Etihad Airways, its equity partners and third party customers," he concluded.