Emirates and Safran Seats have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a manufacturing and seat assembly facility in Dubai.
The joint industrial cooperation will initially concentrate on Business and Economy class seats for cabin retrofit projects. With plans to expand to line-fit in the future, the facility will bring capacity to serve Emirates and other customers of Safran Seats.
This strategic move aims to bring Safran Seats’ expertise closer to Emirates’ operations, as well as to other airlines.
Creating this additional industrial capacity seeks to address the growing demand for aircraft seat manufacturing and incorporate further efficiency using the field’s latest technology.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This agreement with Safran marks a pivotal and strategic cooperation that establishes Dubai as an aerospace manufacturing hub.
“We’re bringing world-class seat production capabilities and supply chain to our doorstep, creating highly skilled jobs, and developing capabilities to support Emirates and produce seats for export to other carriers. The partnership will directly support our retrofit programme and the evolution of our onboard cabin interior requirements.”
Olivier Andriès, CEO of Safran, said: “This initiative not only reinforces our shared commitment to operational excellence but also aligns with our industrial strategy as we adapt and prepare our business to support the current and future worldwide market ramp-up.”
Safran has been a key partner in Emirates’ fleet refurbishment efforts, supplying premium seating for the airline’s retrofit programme and its new A350 fleet.
Safran aims to have the facility completed by the final quarter of 2027. The ramp-up will have a phased approach, with the initial assembly of up to 1,000 Business class seats per year.
