Arsenal Football Club today boarded a newly branded Emirates A380 with a livery featuring a montage of Arsenal first team players. The club is making their way to Dubai for a friendly match with Al Nasr Sports Club as well as the official inauguration of Al Maktoum Stadium, taking place on 26 March. During their stay in Dubai, the Arsenal players will also take part in warm weather training sessions, to prepare for final weeks of their football season. This is the first time in Emirates’ history that the whole Arsenal squad visits their Dubai home, and the airline will be supporting the visit by connecting fans in the UAE with one of the greatest football clubs in the world.

The bespoke decal showcases the Arsenal Crest and features Lucas Torreira, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexandre Lacazette. The decal covers a sizable area of 383sqm around the aircraft, with the images of the players identifiable from both the ground and in the air.  Watch the bespoke player decal come to life here.

Arsenal fans as well as plane spotters can catch the A380 under tail number, A6-EEB, as it travels around the world with scheduled services planned to Paris, London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Emirates Airline, whose partnership with Arsenal is one of the most recognisable and longstanding in the world of sport, last year announced a new sponsorship deal, granting the airline a five year extension to their shirt partnership with the Club until the end of the 2023-2024 season. The sponsorship was the largest ever signed by a club and one of the biggest ever agreed in football. The Emirates and Arsenal partnership is also the longest running relationship in the Premier League, with the total duration of Emirates’ shirt branding spanning 18 years. Arsenal’s home also continues to be known as Emirates Stadium until 2028.

Emirates’ sponsorship and support of global football clubs and popular football events have enabled the airline to bring major clubs to the UAE to compete in unique tournaments, connecting them to their fans, as well as capitalising on opportunities that will link local clubs with international football teams through focused collaboration.

The airline’s efforts also support its vision to provide UAE football a platform to thrive at the international level, as well as further supporting the Dubai’s status as a world-class sports hub and a centre for professional sporting events.