Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

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.
<h2>Dealing With the Desert</h2>
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.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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