The new hangar will serve mainly third-party customers. “Only 5% of the work will be done in the interest of Volga-Dnepr Group carriers,” says Sherin. The UAE is the historical transit point for flights to Europe from Australia, Southeast Asia and Africa, he says, so many airlines welcome a chance to stop here for the A checks.

In September, Volga-Dnepr Gulf specialists performed this type of maintenance for Kalitta Air Boeing 747s under the airline's certificate. The U.S.-based cargo carrier signed an on-call contract with the Russian company, as did another Boeing 747 operator, Air Atlanta. In addition, line maintenance services are now provided for Pakistani Vision Air.

Volga-Dnepr Gulf plans to perform about 40 A checks in 2013 and hopes to attract 30 new customers within the next 1.5 years, says Sherin. “Everybody is just waiting for the hangar to be opened,” he says. The workload is expected to grow 35-40% in the first year, while the goal is to reach 400,000-450,000 labor hours annually, twice the current level.

The company also plans to open new line-maintenance stations in Dubai and another emirate, Fujairah, by year-end. In the first half of next year, it will add a station in Amsterdam to its existing European facilities in Leipzig and Frankfurt, Germany, as well. And opening a facility in Changzhou, China, is also being discussed, says Sherin.