Inside the 34-Day Build of Emirates' Aircrafted Arsenal Crest

Klaus Schmidt · 2026-08-19

When you walk into the Directors Box at Emirates Stadium, you might notice something new. It's a massive sculpture, standing about 8 feet tall, and it wasn't shipped in from a factory floor. It was built by hand, piece by piece, from the bones of old aircraft. This is the story of how Emirates turned retired plane parts into a symbol of a decade-long partnership. ### A Project Born From Scrap The idea wasn't to buy a trophy off the shelf. Emirates wanted something that told a story, and what better story than one about flight itself? The club and the airline have been tied together since 2006, and this crest needed to reflect that shared history. So, the team at Emirates Engineering got to work. They didn't start with a blank canvas. They started with a pile of upcycled aircraft parts. Think about that for a second. These weren't new materials. They were worn, flown, and retired components that had logged thousands of miles in the sky. ### The Team Behind the Build It took 34 days and a crew of 15 engineers to pull this off. That's not a long time for a project of this scale. If you've ever tried to assemble furniture from a flat-pack box, you'll appreciate what these folks did. They weren't following a manual. They were designing as they went, figuring out how to make curved fuselage panels fit into sharp, geometric lines of a crest. Each piece had to be sourced, cleaned, and then welded or bolted into place. It's a bit like a giant jigsaw puzzle, except the pieces are made of aluminum and titanium, and there's no picture on the box to guide you. ### From Dubai to London: A Logistics Feat Once the sculpture was finished, the real test began. Moving a 2.4-meter (roughly 8 feet) metal structure from Dubai to London isn't like tossing a suitcase in the overhead bin. This is where Emirates SkyCargo stepped in. They're the folks who move things that most couriers won't touch—oversized, fragile, and high-value cargo. Their team planned the route, secured the load, and used specialized handling equipment to make sure the crest didn't get a single scratch. It's a reminder that sometimes the hardest part of a project isn't the build. It's the delivery. ### A New Home at the Stadium The installation now sits proudly at the entrance to the Directors Box and Diamond Club. It's a prime spot, right where the club's most dedicated supporters and VIPs walk through on match day. It's not hidden away in a museum. It's out in the open, meant to be touched, photographed, and admired. For Arsenal fans, it's a nod to the club's identity. For Emirates, it's a statement about sustainability and craftsmanship. And for the engineers who built it, it's proof that one person's scrap metal is another person's masterpiece. ### Why This Matters This project is more than just a cool art piece. It's a case study in creative reuse. Airlines generate tons of waste when they retire aircraft. Most of it gets melted down or scrapped. But here, Emirates found a way to honor the past while building something for the future. It also shows what happens when a brand partnership goes beyond logos on a jersey. This is a physical commitment, a piece of art that will sit in the stadium for years to come. So next time you're watching a match from the Directors Box, take a moment to look at the crest. It's not just a logo. It's a story of 15 people, 34 days, and a whole lot of old airplane parts. - The sculpture is 8 feet tall and made entirely from upcycled aircraft components. - It took 34 days and 15 engineers to complete. - Emirates SkyCargo handled the delicate transport from Dubai to London. - The piece is now on permanent display at the Emirates Stadium. If you're ever in London, it's worth a look. It might just change how you see "waste."