New Emirates Airbus A380 livery celebrates Hazza Al Mansouri's space mission
14 October, 2019
Emirates is celebrating the UAE first space mission with a special livery on its Airbus A380.
The Dubai airline has revealed the design on its flagship aircraft with an image of an astronaut in front of the International Space Station after Emirati Hazza Al Mansouri's successful mission.
The livery also includes a quote from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, who says, "The sky is only the beginning."
Emirates revealed the new design on Twitter, though it hasn't yet said when it will be introduced.
"We are proud to celebrate the UAE’s historic journey to space with a special livery on our flagship Airbus A380 that will soon take off to the skies," it said.
Maj Al Mansouri returned to the UAE on Saturday after eight days in space and having spent most of the year in Russia preparing for his mission.
He landed at the Presidential Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport where he was given a hero's welcome and was greeted by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, accompanied by his grandchildren.
Special liveries are a regular sight for Emirates travellers as the airline creates different designs to highlight worthy causes, or celebrate significant occasions – such as the space mission.
Others have included the Rugby World Cup, which is currently taking place in Japan, the Year of Zayed and its stable of football clubs that it sponsors, such as Real Madrid.
Abu Dhabi airline Etihad has also launched a series of special liveries – its most recent being a Saudi Arabian-inspired Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to mark Saudi's 89th National Day, which took place last month.
The works of art aren't just restricted to the UAE, as other airlines have also been creative this year.
British Airways went for a retro look on a portion of its fleet to mark 100 years of flying, while Alaska Airlines released a Toy Story livery. Virgin Airways dressed a Boeing 747 in a Star Wars-inspired paint job.
Emirates meanwhile has been ramping up its A380 destinations.
On October 2, it completed its first A380 flight to Cairo and plans to run a regular service using the superjumbo to the Egyptian capital.
The airline currently has 112 A380s in service and 11 pending delivery.
It will also be starting a route to Mexico City via Barcelona on December 9. The daily service will be operated by a two-class Emirates Boeing 777-200LR.