As the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jet, gleaming in its Royal Jordanian airline livery, slowly taxied into a hangar at Haikou Meilan International Airport, its massive engines hummed with the quiet promise of a full 66-day overhaul.

The aircraft, part of a fleet that spans continents, is far more than just a symbol of global air travel. It represents a new frontier for Hainan province's rapidly developing aerospace industry, which is poised to redefine its role in the global supply chain.

What makes this jet's journey even more significant is not its international flair, but the location where its critical maintenance is taking place: Hainan Free Trade Port, where a burgeoning ecosystem is taking shape to handle the world's aircraft overhaul needs.

It coincides with China's pledge to safeguard and develop an open world economy. According to a draft Government Work Report submitted on Thursday to the country's top legislature for deliberation, China will improve the layout and scale of pilot free trade zones to boost their innovation-driven development capacity, as well as take solid steps to develop Hainan Free Trade Port.

This Boeing 787-8 is the latest widebody to undergo a scheduled heavy maintenance check at a state-of-the-art facility, underscoring Hainan's growing significance in the global aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul industry.

The aircraft's seamless arrival — a mere formality under the preapproval customs system — was just the beginning.

Within hours of its arrival, it was already being prepared for an extensive overhaul by Grand China Aviation Maintenance Co, a subsidiary of HNA Technic. The facility, which opened its doors in 2022, has already begun to attract a growing number of foreign carriers, turning Hainan into a vital hub in the MRO sector.

Aboard the aircraft, engineers are preparing the jet for its comprehensive service. Over the course of the next two months, it will undergo a heavy airframe check, an overhaul of its landing gear, a cabin refurbishment, installation of in-flight connectivity systems and a full exterior repaint.

This intensive work will allow the aircraft to continue its role in an international fleet that connects countries and economies worldwide. But for Hainan, it is more than just another maintenance job; it's another step toward becoming a key player in a global aerospace network.