21 July 2026

Etihad Engineering and RTX's Collins Aerospace create nacelle MRO joint venture

Farnborough, United Kingdom, 21 July 2026: Collins Aerospace, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, and Etihad Airways Engineering LLC (Etihad Engineering) announced a joint venture agreement at the Farnborough International Airshow to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The JV will provide nacelle and thrust reverser maintenance solutions, along with asset support services, for Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 widebody fleets across regional and international carriers.

As part of the agreement, Collins will relocate existing UAE nacelle operations to Etihad Engineering's 550,000-square-meter aviation maintenance centre of excellence near Zayed International Airport, doubling Collins' current nacelle MRO footprint in the Middle East. The 3,250-square-meter facility is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2027.

“By co-locating with Etihad Engineering’s rapidly expanding heavy maintenance facility, Collins can deliver enhanced service levels and technical expertise to meet the demand of the Middle East region’s fast growing aviation market,” said PJ Titone, vice president and general manager of Advanced Structures for Collins Aerospace. “This joint venture expands our global MRO footprint and supports the rising number of commercial aircraft equipped with Collins nacelles helping carriers across the region reduce costs and improve turnaround times.”

Etihad Engineering, a part of Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) group of companies, is one of the world’s leading aircraft MRO service providers, offering extensive aircraft maintenance and engineering solutions across a range of airframe maintenance and component repair services. The establishment of the JV will complement and expand Etihad Engineering’s existing aircraft maintenance solutions and provide airline customers in the region and from around the world with enhanced nacelle MRO services.

Mahmood Al Hameli, Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA), said: “This new capability aligns with our Group’s long-term commitment to organic growth through capability enhancement and the development of local expertise. This not only broadens our service offerings but also enhances resilience and provides better responsiveness to our customers.”

“We offer our global customer base a wide range of industry-leading aircraft maintenance and engineering services in Abu Dhabi as a one-stop MRO solutions partner. The creation of this JV with Collins Aerospace strengthens our world-class value proposition by adding high-quality nacelle maintenance and thrust reverser MRO services to our comprehensive existing portfolio for our customers from all over the world,” said Daniel Hoffmann, CEO of Etihad Engineering.

The JV will operate as part of Collins’ aerostructures aftermarket network supported by a global team.