Etihad Airways Engineering Award Winning Innovation to Cut Fuel and Water Drain Time

April 14, 2018
The innovative drain cart saves up to 80 per cent of the time required for fuel and water draining during aircraft maintenance.

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Etihad Airways Engineering has seen off competition from a field of 400 to take a top innovation award. Themaintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider received the prestigious UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Aeronnovation award in the ‘Improving Aviation Safety’ category.

The award was presented by GCAA Chairman H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori and Director General H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi during the UAE’s Innovation Month.

Etihad Airways Engineering’s winning entry – Fuel Drain-DoctorTM – efficiently and safely drains condensate water and fuel and reduces depuddling times from hours to minutes. The innovative drain cart saves up to 80 per cent of the time required for fuel and water draining during aircraft maintenance.

Fuel Drain-Doctor was designed and developed in the Etihad Airways Engineering facility, and was a result of close collaboration between the Design, Engineering & Innovation and Light Maintenance teams.

Abdul Khaliq Saeed, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways Engineering, said, “As an MRO organisation, we aim to minimise ground time for our customer’s aircraft by employing more efficient processes and innovative technologies. Fuel Drain-Doctor, designed and built in the Etihad Airways Engineering facility, can help any airline or MRO reduce aircraft fuel and water draining time, which leads to cost and time savings. Faster turnaround time translates to more revenue in our industry where every minute counts.”

Etihad Airways Engineering continues to invest in infrastructure to support the growing business. Aircraft hangars at the facility cover approximately 42,000 sq metres, including 10,000 sq metres of aircraft painting facilities and a custom-designed hangar that can accommodate up to three Airbus A380 aircraft simultaneously.