Emirates airline has signed up Aeroports de Paris International (ADPI) for a contract to design a huge new hangar complex at the Dubai International Airport.

The deal was signed by Emirates' chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and ADPI managing director Alain le Pajolec.

The eight hangars in the Dh1 billion ($275 million) Emirates Engineering Centre is the biggest building project ever undertaken by the airline and provide will Emirates' engineers with a facility where they can work on the airline's future fleet in safety and comfort.

The hangars will house all kinds of aircraft, including the new 575-seat Airbus A380s when they enter service from 2006.

Besides hangars, the complex includes an aircraft washing bay, administration block, mosque, waste treatment plant, access roads, and parking for 2,000 cars. It will be developed on a site next to the exhibition centre and will be ready to use by the end of 2005.

ADPI will prepare the overall design and act as lead consultant.