RIYADH: Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries’ new maintenance, repair and operations village is expected to be fully operational in 2025. The facility is 50 percent complete and will be ready by the first quarter of 2024.

Speaking to Arab News at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Majed Sabbagh, VP of transformation and shared services at SAEI, described the growth of opportunities stemming from the new MRO village as massive.

He said that the engineering facility is looking at hiring roughly 7,000 employees to manage its 11 hangars, which is more than double the number of employees they initially had. The headcount could grow even further when it scales up an additional six hangars in the future.

MRO village is all geared up to offer a wide range of offerings beyond the line maintenance tasks that could simultaneously serve 40 different clients.

“Base maintenance, or a more thorough checkup for aircraft that require additional time, will also be provided at the new MRO village,” added Sabbagh.

The move assumes significance as the Saudi aviation sector plans to increase its international connectivity to 250 destinations and welcome over 300 million air  passengers by 2030. SAEI has also been signing strategic partnerships to fuel the technology rigors of the MRO facility. For example, it recently tied up with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology as an innovation partner to test new technologies and innovations in the aviation industry.

At the Future Aviation Forum, the company also inked a deal with Saudi Investment Recycling Company.

“We want them to assess potential business opportunities of components we usually scrap such as copper, plastic, synthetic leather, carpet, etc.,” he said while emphasizing the need to make the best of anything worth recycling.