dailynewsnblog
The partnership between 
Emirates and Arsenal FC is one of the most notable sports sponsorship deals of the 21st century. With The Gunners having won the Premier League title last season, and their cooperation with the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier having now lasted for some 20 years, Emirates is in a celebratory mood, which has manifested itself in the production of a 2.4-meter (eight feet) sculpture.
Depicting the North London-based football club’s iconic badge, the sculpture uses none other than upcycled components from the airline’s Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 jets. Unveiled yesterday at the stadium that bears its name, Emirates has called this sculpture The Aircrafted Arsenal Crest. It is the result of 34 days of work by a team of 15 Emirates Engineering’s Aircraft Material Upcycling engineers.
8 Feet Of Aviation Elegance
At first glance, the impressive sculpture appears to be little more than a large depiction of Arsenal’s famous badge. However, on closer inspection, its aviation components are more evident. Most notably, at the heart of the iconic cannon motif that is inextricably linked to the North London-based football giants, Emirates has used “a main landing gear wheel hub [that] forms the centre of the cannon wheel.”
Likewise, the carrier notes that “a section of titanium bleed air duct has been cut and reshaped to create its barrel.” Away from the cannon itself, the face of the shield consists of “sheets of Boeing 777 aluminium fuselage skin, (…) with aircraft cargo tracks adapted to form its outer edge and internal structure.” The lettering, meanwhile, uses reshaped aircraft windows. Emirates CEO Tim Clark said of the design:
“The craftsmanship behind the crest is exceptional. It reflects the precision, discipline, and ambition that define both aviation and elite sport, while giving these aircraft materials an entirely new purpose.”
Set For Permanent Display
This weekend, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium played host to the Emirates Cup, a long-running preseason tradition that, this year, saw The Gunners face off against German giants Borussia Dortmund. While the match itself ended in a 3-2 defeat for Arsenal, the day was also a special one as it saw the unveiling of the upcycled sculpture, which Emirates had flown in from its Dubai hub to mark the occasion.
Emirates explains that one of the dedicated cargo aircraft from its SkyCargo freighter fleet was tasked with flying the new sculpture over to the capital. Manufacturing-wise, the carrier says that “components were selected for their strength, shape and potential to be transformed before being cleaned, cut, curved, machined, riveted and assembled.” Once it was painted and fitted with lights, it was ready for takeoff.
Now that it has arrived in London and been unveiled to the public, Emirates and Arsenal will display the sculpture on a permanent basis at the team’s home ground. Unfortunately for regular supporters, it will not be housed in a public area, but, rather, in the carrier’s hospitality space at the stadium. However, for the lucky few who can access this area, the eight-foot crest will certainly be an impressive sight.
20 Years Of Cooperation
When it comes to the merging of aviation and sports, few partnerships are as iconic as that of Emirates and Arsenal FC. The pair have now been working together for 20 years, since The Gunners moved out of their former ground at Highbury and into the then-new Emirates Stadium back in the summer of 2006. As well as naming the stadium, Emirates has also been Arsenal’s shirt sponsor for this period.
Simple Flying reported in 2023 that this long-running commercial partnership had been extended into 2028. However, since then, five more years have been added to Emirates’ tenure, with its sponsorship of The Gunners now set to run until at least 2033. Clark says that, during these 20 years, “we have watched the club evolve, welcomed new generations of supporters and celebrated many defining moments.”
