Summary

  • Emirates operates out of Dubai International Airport, being the world’s busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.
  • Emirates has iconic liveries including special designs for Expo 2020 Dubai, Arsenal partnership, and support for United for Wildlife.
  • Other notable liveries by Emirates include the ‘Year of Tolerance’ and ‘UAE in Space,’ emphasizing multiculturalism and space exploration.

Emirates is infamous for its rapid expansion and large Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft fleet. It has made millions a convenient stopover point between Africa and Europe or Asia and North America. The carrier is also famous for one more thing: iconic aircraft liveries. This article will dig through the archives and look at some of the most memorable in the sky.

Let’s start with the basics: Emirates home and Emirates fleet. Dubai International Airport (DXB), the busiest airport in the United Arab Emirates and Middle East, is also one of the world’s busiest by international passenger traffic.

Due to Emirates’ large fleet of A380 and 777, it is also the world’s busiest airport for those aircraft. The airport is just 2.9 miles (4.6 km) from Dubai’s city center and is spread over 7,200 acres (2,900 hectares).

Emirates (Year of the Fiftieth Livery), A6-EVG, Airbus A380-842

Emirates has a fleet of over 250 aircraft and connects Dubai to over 150 destinations worldwide, including several recognizable fifth-freedom routes, which include Miami to Bogota, Athens to Newark, Milan to New York JFK, and Sydney to Christchurch (to name a few).

The airline is the second flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, including Etihad, and on average, operates over 3,600 flights per week from its Dubai hub. With that knowledge in hand, let’s look at this busiest carrier’s most iconic liveries.

1

Expo 2020

Marketing Expo 2020 Dubai around the world

Emirates was the premier partner and official airline for Expo 2020 Dubai, and the carrier wasted no time in creating a head-turning A380 livery dedicated to marketing the global event’s message worldwide.

Stepping away from the airline’s traditional white and gold paint scheme, one of its aircraft dedicated to Expo 2020 saw a bright blue A380, which included large-scale graphics in green, orange, pink, purple, and red. This ran across the fuselage length and included the Expo 2020 logo.

Other inclusions were special messages, ‘Dubai Expo’ and ‘Be Part of the Magic,’ which ran down the side of the fuselage. Engine cowls also carried Expo 2020 Dubai dates and other messages.

Unfortunately for those who enjoy the red belly of Emirates aircraft, this aircraft saw an orange ‘Dubai Expo’ branding, which added further visibility for the event.

Emirates designed, painted, produced the livery and installed it in-house. This was by far the largest livery and paint project the airline had ever embarked on, and it turned many heads.

2

Arsenal partnership

Premier League football team Arsenal has had a relationship with Emirates since 2004 and has sported various Arsenal-dedicated liveries since 2016.

However, in 2019, a special livery was applied to an Airbus A380 A6-EEB, symbolizing the extension of the team’s sponsorship to 2028 with the carrier. As part of this agreement, the Emirates Stadium in Holloway, London, retains its name.

Another part of the agreement was for the club to head to Dubai for a friendly match with Al Nasr Sports Club and an official inauguration of Al Maktoum Stadium. While Arsenal was in Dubai, the team could take part in warm-weather training sessions, and it was the first time in history that the whole team could visit Dubai together.

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The livery celebrated the carrier’s partnership with the club.

3

United for wildlife

Fighting illegal wildlife trading

Two Airbus A380 jets were treated to special liveries depicting various animals in special support of United for Wildlife, a global collaboration looking to unite efforts with the world’s leading wildlife charities in a fight against illegal wildlife trading.

This iconic livery features some of the world’s most threatened animals, specifically by poaching, in a bid to raise awareness and communicate the need for immediate action.

Chair of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce, Rt Hon The Lord Hague of Richmond, was delighted to sight the newly detailed aircraft, and in an Emirates media release noted:

“We welcome the efforts and commitment made by Emirates airline to combat the illegal wildlife trade. This is more than just an environmental issue. The illegal wildlife trade is now recognized as a serious and organised transnational crime. It drives corruption, is linked to money laundering and can damage economic development in many of the world’s poorest countries and communities. It will take a concerted effort, involving not only effective deterrents against poaching and smuggling, and vigilance in policing and punishing these crimes, but also efforts to increase consumer education to cut demand to protect these animals for the future. ”

4

Year of Tolerance

Bringing unity to different cultures and backgrounds

Emirates A380 year of tolerance

Photo: Emirates

2019 saw the Emirates underscore its mission of bringing the world closer together. This was done by rolling out the Airbus A380 with the ‘Year of Tolerance’ livery, which depicted people from various cultures and backgrounds in solidarity, which underpins the United Arab Emirate’s message of multiculturalism. The livery was applied to both sides of the double-decker aircraft and was expected to fly for 12 months across 50 of Emirates’ most popular routes.

5

UAE in Space

An intergalatic airline

The final special livery in our list was the Emirates ‘UAE in Space,’ which debuted in November 2019, departing on one of the carrier’s Airbus A380s as EK408 bound for Melbourne, Australia. The livery was a special nod to the United Arab Emirates’ first space mission and acknowledged the nation’s ambitions of becoming a global space exploration and research hub.

The livery included an image of the International Space Station and an astronaut before the Earth. It featured a quote from the Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, stating:

“The sky is only the beginning.”

Related

Video: How Emirates Applies A Special Airbus A380 Livery


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