Emirates and Arsenal have unveiled a striking new symbol of their long-standing partnership: a 2.4-metre-high illuminated Arsenal crest handcrafted from components recovered from the airline’s Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.
Revealed at Emirates Stadium, the installation, named The Aircrafted Arsenal Crest, gives retired aviation materials a second life while bringing together Emirates’ engineering expertise, Arsenal’s industrial heritage and the club’s iconic cannon.
The sculpture was created to mark 20 years of the Emirates-Arsenal partnership and its extension through to 2033. Its unveiling comes after Arsenal’s Premier League-winning season and signals the start of another chapter in one of the most recognisable and enduring partnerships in world sport.
Re-engineering an Arsenal symbol
The project was completed in just 34 days by a team of 15 Emirates Engineering specialists, including engineers, designers, mechanics, technicians and painters.
At the heart of the sculpture is Arsenal’s famous cannon, reconstructed using components from an Emirates Airbus A380. A main landing gear wheel hub forms the centre of the cannon wheel, while a section of titanium bleed-air ducting was cut and reshaped to create the barrel.
Lightweight composite aircraft floor panels were also assembled to form the cannon’s three-dimensional body.
The shield itself incorporates sheets of aluminium recovered from a Boeing 777 fuselage. Aircraft cargo tracks were adapted to create the outer edge and internal structure, while cargo floor panels and roller components were repurposed elsewhere across the installation.
Even the Arsenal lettering has an aviation connection. Individual letters were shaped from aircraft windows and equipped with integrated warm-white lighting. Additional lighting beneath the plinth illuminates the sculpture and its specially built black tile base.
Giving aircraft materials a second life
The entire project was designed and built in-house in Dubai by Emirates Engineering’s Aircraft Material Upcycling team.
The specialists selected individual aircraft components based on their strength, shape and potential for transformation. The materials were then cleaned, cut, curved, machined, riveted and assembled to create the final structure.
Once construction was complete, the Crest was painted according to Arsenal’s official colour specifications before its lighting system was installed. It was subsequently transported from Dubai to London aboard an Emirates SkyCargo freighter ahead of its installation at Emirates Stadium.
The result creates a direct link between Arsenal’s industrial roots and Emirates’ long-standing focus on engineering, innovation and technical excellence.
Arsenal’s cannon has featured on every version of the club’s emblem since 1905 and is also the origin of the team’s famous nickname, The Gunners. By incorporating an Airbus A380 landing gear wheel hub into the cannon, Emirates Engineering has placed a distinctive piece of its aviation heritage inside one of Arsenal’s most recognisable symbols.
A new chapter in a 20-year partnership
The Crest was officially unveiled by Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, and Richard Garlick, Chief Executive of Arsenal, ahead of the clubs’ match against Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Cup.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said the sculpture was designed as a permanent tribute to the two-decade relationship between the airline and the football club.
“Emirates and Arsenal have shared an extraordinary journey over the past 20 years,” he said. “We have watched the club evolve, welcomed new generations of supporters and celebrated many defining moments together.”
He added that the project was intended to create something that could only come from the two organisations, with Emirates’ engineering team transforming A380 and Boeing 777 components into a symbol recognised around the world.
According to Clark, the craftsmanship reflects the “precision, discipline and ambition” shared by aviation and elite sport, while giving aircraft materials a completely new purpose.
“As we enter the next chapter of our partnership, this sculpture is both a celebration of everything we have achieved together and a statement of our shared ambition for the future,” he said.
Richard Garlick also welcomed the installation, describing it as a tribute to both Arsenal and the 20-year partnership with Emirates.
“We’re hugely grateful to Emirates for creating this special tribute to our club and to 20 years of partnership between us,” Garlick said.
He added that the Crest reflects the strength of the relationship and the achievements of both organisations, while the next chapter will be built around “confidence, ambition and a shared belief” in the future of the partnership and the club.
Under the extended agreement, which runs through 2033, Emirates will remain Arsenal’s front-of-shirt, training-kit and stadium-naming-rights partner. The extension also maintains what is described as the Premier League’s longest-running front-of-shirt partnership.
Following its unveiling, The Aircrafted Arsenal Crest will remain permanently on display in Emirates’ hospitality space at Emirates Stadium, preserving the story of two decades of partnership while giving components from retired aircraft a new and highly visible role.
