Aircraft engines dust ingestion in the Middle East

Commercial aircraft operations in the Middle East are projected to grow at an annual rate of 5% over the next 20 years. However, aircraft operating in this region are frequently exposed to high concentrations of mineral dust, which can cause significant engine damage and reduce component lifetimes. This study presents a methodology that integrates real-world flight trajectory data with a numerical weather model to quantify the amount of dust ingested by aero engines. A large-scale analysis was conducted on 30,000 flights operated by a narrow-body aircraft across 12 Middle Eastern airports to assess regional variability in dust ingestion. The vertical distribution of ingested dust was examined, revealing peak concentrations between 2,000 and 5,000 feet, with a secondary peak around 10,000 feet. These patterns are primarily driven by the climb phase, where significant time is spent within dust-laden altitude bands, as the aircraft increases the forward flight velocity, thereby contributing significantly to overall dust exposure. The occurrence of holding patterns, which have been previously identified as a prominent damaging phase of flight for dust ingestion, was also investigated, with less than 1% of flights including them.