With just over six weeks to go before the entire Emirates Engineering division completes its move to a massive new 21st century centre, work is in progress to transport two 330-tonne, computer-controlled aircraft docking systems that tower 60 feet above the ground to their new home.

The Dh1.3-billion Emirates Engineering Centre, located on the north side of Dubai airport, is one of the largest civil aviation maintenance facilities in the world with eight hangars together covering an area equivalent to 17 soccer fields.

Each hangar has roof-mounted cranes and a mezzanine docking system for access to the aircraft, while two of them will be equipped with full fuselage docking systems designed for heavy maintenance. A third docking system, capable of accepting the new A380, will be commissioned in November 2006.

These two multi-million-dollar docks are smart systems that can adjust themselves automatically to the different aircraft types that Emirates operates but moving them across the airport requires a finely orchestrated operation.

Emirates flies to over 80 destinations in more than 55 countries. The airline operates four flights weekly from Malta to Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on A330-200.