Dubai-based carrier Emirates has announced the signing of a new agreement with Airbus that the airline hopes will contribute to an improvement in the overall operational performance of its Airbus A350 and A380 fleets. On February 10, 2025, the carrier signed an agreement with Airbus for the implementation of the planemaker’s Skywise Fleet Performance+ (S.FP+) software, described by Airbus as an “advanced predictive maintenance and fleet health monitoring solution and Core X3 analytics platform.”
According to the airline, the adoption of the Airbus S.FP+ software solution is set to “further improve aircraft dispatch reliability while enabling strategic data-driven decision-making for Emirates’ fleet of commercial Airbus A380 and A350 aircraft.” Using the platform’s advanced capabilities, engineering teams at the company will be able to monitor real-time aircraft performance and health data, identify potential issues in flight, and determine maintenance actions during turnarounds.
The Skywise Fleet Performance Plus platform features automated pre-departure monitoring of cabin temperatures, operations, and key systems, powered by advanced analytics. It also integrates Aircraft Condition Monitoring System (ACMS) data for critical aircraft monitoring, delivers predictive diagnostics with real-time alerts and solutions, and provides comprehensive status insights for Emirates’ Airbus aircraft fleets.
The airline adds that “The integration of the Core X3 analytics platform will help Emirates Engineering to manage vast amounts of data, connecting different systems for single source, up-to-the-minute insights through an enhanced user interface that can be intuitively used by multiple teams.”
“As a highly efficient, customer-centric operation, Emirates is always looking at ways to leverage leading-edge technologies that improve operational reliability and punctuality, minimize unscheduled downtime, and ensure our fleet operates at the highest standards, ultimately elevating the customer experience,” said Ahmed Safa, Head of Emirates Engineering. “Adopting Airbus’s Skywise Fleet Performance+ is a step forward to support our Airbus fleet, harnessing the latest advancements, and transforming traditional maintenance activities into streamlined, precision-led processes that optimize our time in the skies.”
“We are proud to strengthen our collaboration with Emirates through the implementation of Skywise Fleet Performance+ and Core X3,” added Laurent Negre, Vice President of Customer Services Africa and Middle East at Airbus. “These solutions will enhance fleet performance and reliability, reduce downtime, and support operational efficiency passengers will benefit from, too.”
About Emirates Engineering
“Emirates Engineering has long used aviation analytics and operational insights to maximize fleet availability while driving cost and network efficiencies,” states an Emirates statement. “The airline is currently employing advanced digital technologies to accelerate improvements in maintenance operations, in addition to next-generation prognostic and predictive maintenance. Work is in progress to deploy drone-assisted aircraft inspections. Emirates Engineering is also exploring avenues to use virtual and augmented reality for maintenance tasks.”
Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A380 superjumbo widebody with a total of 118 aircraft in its fleet. Additionally, the airline recently introduced the first of 65 Airbus A350-900s into its fleet and now has three of the type in service. Emirates Engineering supports the carrier’s entire current fleet of 269 Boeing 777, Airbus A380, and A350 aircraft and manages all aspects of maintenance, engineering, quality, planning, and logistics for the airline.
The engineering division operates from a massive 400,000 square meter (4,305, 564 square feet) facility at Dubai International Airport (DXB), featuring 12 hangars that form the largest free-spanned structures in the Middle East. Additionally, in 2023, the airline announced an investment of US$950 million to build a new ultra-modern engineering facility at Dubai World Central Airport (DWC). Spread over 1 million square meters (10 million square feet), the new engineering complex will be the largest to be operated by any airline in the Middle East.
