Global programme management consultancy Turner & Townsend has delivered General Electric (GE)’s unique aviation engineering centre in Dubai, which seeks to help fast-growing airlines in the Middle East to dramatically cut costs, increase efficiencies and reduce risk.
The GE Middle East Aviation Technology Center, based at Dubai International Airport Free Zone, will be an innovation hub for major airlines based in the region. Turner & Townsend provided project and cost management expertise to plan, design and build the US$7m software laboratory and offices in just 11 months.
The 2,000m² centre will be home to data scientists and software developers, and boasts video walls, interactive touch screens and tables, 3D printing and even a life-size acrylic aircraft engine. The hub brings together industrial engineering with sensors, software applications and big data analytics to help airlines, for example, design individual flight paths for every plane, learn how much fuel is needed for each flight and schedule maintenance when needed.
It will also leverage GE’s software platform, Predix. Developers will use Predix to build apps that can ingest data from jet engines such as heat and vibrations, analyse it in real-time, and then use it to adjust operations in an effort to increase productivity, maximise performance and minimise time on the ground.