Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Safran Seats, to establish an aircraft seat manufacturing and assembly facility in Dubai. This additional industrial capacity will help Safran Seats meet the growing demand in the aviation industry for aircraft seat manufacturing, and will create a new local facility for its Middle Eastern airline customers.
Emirates and Safran aim to open the facility by Q4 2027. Production will be ramped-up in a phased approach, with a planned initial assembly rate of up to 1,000 business-class seats per year.
The partners say the joint industrial cooperation will initially concentrate on business class and economy-class seats for Emirates’ cabin retrofit projects (Safran is a key supplier), with plans to expand to line-fit seating operations in the future. The 20,000- 25,000 square-metre facility will add manufacturing and assembly capacity, which will be available to serve Emirates’ needs, and also those of Safran Seats’ other airline customers.
During an announcement made at Dubai Airshow 2025, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Emirates Group, said that the agreement with Safran 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,” he said. “The partnership will directly support our retrofit programme and the evolution of our onboard cabin interior requirements.”
Looking at the broader picture, Al Maktoum explained, “Our goal is to further develop aerospace manufacturing to attract component suppliers, technology companies, and talented, skilled professionals from around the world. This initiative aligns perfectly with the D33 economic agenda, strengthening Dubai’s position in a strategic industry while further diversifying our economy. The UAE has built one of the world’s most successful aviation industries, and now it’s time to build the manufacturing capabilities to match that success.”
