What Occurred To Emirates’ Arsenal-Liveried Airbus A380?

• Emirates

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  EK/UAE

  Airline Sort:

  Full Service Service

  Hub(s):

  Dubai Worldwide Airport

  Yr Based:

  1985

  CEO:

  Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

  Nation:

  United Arab Emirates

• Airbus

  Inventory Code:

  AIR

  Date Based:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Strains:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Enterprise Sort:

  Planemaker

The industries of business aviation {and professional} soccer typically discover themselves at a crossroads with each other. For instance, Emirates is thought for sponsoring groups like Actual Madrid and Arsenal. To mark its partnership with the latter of those, the Dubai-based UAE flag provider devised a particular Airbus A380 livery.

Launched in 2019

Whereas the livery in query got here into existence in 2019, Emirates’ partnership with London’s Arsenal FC dates again greater than a decade earlier. The pair’s business relationship could be traced again to 2004, with the Emirates title being seen on the group’s shirts and stadium because the 2006/2007 season.

The 2019 livery launch got here a 12 months after Emirates signed an extension to its current sponsorship settlement with Arsenal, which can see the group’s floor retain its Emirates Stadium title till 2028. The particular paint scheme was revealed in March 2019, and featured a 383-square-meter decal depicting a number of Arsenal gamers. Commenting on its wider business actions, the airline acknowledged:

“Emirates’ sponsorship and assist of world soccer golf equipment and widespread soccer occasions have enabled the airline to carry main golf equipment to the UAE to compete in distinctive tournaments, connecting them to their followers, in addition to capitalizing on alternatives that can hyperlink native golf equipment with worldwide soccer groups by centered collaboration.”

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A particular go to

To mark the brand new livery’s launch, Arsenal FC traveled to Dubai on the newly-repainted plane. The aim of this journey, which marked “the primary time in Emirates’ historical past that the entire Arsenal squad [visited] Dubai,” was to play in opposition to native facet Al Nasr within the first recreation to be hosted within the then-new Al Maktoum Stadium. The guests got here from behind to win 3-2 within the venue’s inaugural match.

Sadly, the particular livery, which was utilized to an Airbus A380 registered as A6-EEB, was solely a short lived association. Certainly, information from Planespotters.web exhibits that it was eliminated in July 2019, after lower than half a 12 months. This contrasts with the strategy of Emirates’ UAE neighbors Etihad Airways, whose Manchester Metropolis-themed liveries stayed for for much longer.

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Grounded for greater than two years

Sadly, lower than a 12 months after being delivered, and just one 12 months since receiving the particular paint scheme within the first place, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic compelled A6-EEB into hibernation. In accordance with Flightradar24.com, its most up-to-date passenger-carrying duties got here within the type of a spherical journey from Dubai Worldwide (DXB) to London Gatwick (LGW) and again in March 2020.

After arriving again within the UAE on the morning of March twenty first, 2020, the quadjet flew to the neighboring Dubai World Central (DWC), the place it has remained in storage ever since. Knowledge from ch-aviation.com exhibits that the ten.29-year-old quadjet is considered one of 42 Emirates A380s nonetheless in storage (from a complete fleet of 116 double-deckers).

What do you make of Emirates’ former Arsenal-themed livery? Did you get to fly on A6-EEB whereas it nonetheless had this particular paint scheme? Tell us your ideas and experiences within the feedback!