Design, Engineering & Innovation (DEI) Services
EASA Part 21J- and Part 21G-approved design, certification, and in-house production for major aircraft cabin modifications and additive-manufactured parts.
Etihad Engineering's Design, Engineering and Innovation (DEI) group is the only organisation in the Middle East holding both an extended EASA Part 21J Design Organisation Approval (DOA) and an EASA Part 21G Production Organisation Approval (POA) — the latter being the first awarded to any MRO outside Europe. Together these approvals allow DEI to take a cabin or structure modification from concept through certified design, in-house manufacture, and flight-ready installation without leaving the Abu Dhabi campus.
The DOA scope covers minor and major changes — including full Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) — to cabin interiors, galleys, monuments, structural connections, and environmental and electrical systems across all large commercial and VIP aircraft types. This encompasses complete class-conversion projects, VVIP completions, cargo-to-passenger and passenger-to-freighter modifications, and bespoke cabin interior designs.
DEI also operates the region's first EASA-approved additive manufacturing facility, using powder-bed fusion technology in collaboration with EOS. Etihad Engineering holds the distinction of being the first airline MRO globally to design, certify, and fly 3D-printed cabin parts under EASA authority — a capability that shortens lead times and unlocks geometries impossible to machine conventionally. The production shop manufactures metallic, plastic, composite, and soft-furnishing parts as well as exterior decals and cabin placards.
For procurement teams at airlines or completion centres, DEI provides a single accountable source for regulated interior modification: design approval, part manufacture, and installation in one contracted scope — critical when airworthiness liability must stay clearly assigned.
Technical specifications.
| Design authority | EASA Part 21J DOA (extended scope) + GCAA Part 21J DOA |
| Production authority | EASA Part 21G POA — first in Middle East, first non-European MRO globally |
| Modification scope | Minor and Major changes including full STCs |
| Additive manufacturing approval | EASA-approved powder-bed fusion (EOS technology) |
| Part types produced | Metallic, plastic, composite, soft furnishings, decals, placards |
| Aircraft scope | All large commercial and VIP aircraft types |
| Notable first | First airline MRO globally to design, certify, and fly 3D-printed cabin parts under EASA |
Use cases.
- ›Full cabin class-conversion STCs for widebody commercial aircraft
- ›VVIP and head-of-state cabin completions on large-frame jets
- ›Passenger-to-freighter conversion design and certification
- ›In-house manufacture of certified metallic, composite, and 3D-printed cabin replacement parts with short lead times
- ›Cabin interior redesign covering galleys, monuments, IFE structure, and related electrical systems
- ›Trim, finish, and soft-furnishing refurbishment with EASA-certified production documentation