Dubai: Emirates' planes get new look; 6 changes to airline's iconic livery

Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates on Thursday unveiled its all-new livery. And eagle-eyed plane spotters and fans will immediately notice the changes — particularly to the tailfin and wingtips.

Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, said the refresh seeks to keep the livery modern, "without losing the key elements of our identity, such as the UAE flag on our tailfin and the Arabic calligraphy".

"Aircraft livery is the most instantly recognisable brand real estate for any airline. It’s a visual representation of our unique identity, something we wear proudly, and display in all the cities we fly to around the world," he said.

Through the years, the airline makes an effort to mark momentous occasions with bespoke decals. Who could forget the striking Museum of the Future sticker? Or the brightly coloured Expo-themed one? And a few more here.

Now, here comes the latest design — which introduces six changes:

1. The UAE flag on the Emirates tailfin is much more dynamic and flowing with a 3D effect artwork.

2. The wingtips have been painted red with the Emirates logo in Arabic calligraphy "popping" out in reverse white.

3. Passengers on board with a window view will see the UAE flag colours painted on the wingtips facing the fuselage.

4. The signature gold "Emirates" lettering across the main body in English and Arabic is also bolder, and 32.5 per cent larger.

5. On the aircraft belly, Emirates has retained its iconic red branding which it introduced in 2005.

6. The website URL "Emirates.com" has been dropped from the design.

This is the third iteration of the carrier's official aircraft brand colours. The original livery unveiled with the airline’s launch in 1985 had its first refresh 14 years later, with the delivery of Emirates’ first Boeing 777-300 at the 1999 Dubai Airshow.

When will passengers see the new livery?

The first aircraft to sport Emirates’ newest livery is A6-EOE, an Airbus A380, which has rolled out of Emirates Engineering this week after its makeover. Its first deployment will be to Munich on 17 March as flight EK51.

The new livery will be gradually applied across the rest of the existing Emirates fleet with 24 aircraft, including 17 Boeing 777s, expected to sport the refreshed livery by the end of 2023.

All new Emirates aircraft, from the first Airbus A350 entering the fleet in August 2024 will be delivered in this new livery.

Emirates’ original livery in 1985 was designed by UK design company Negus & Negus. All of the airline’s subsequent aircraft colours were created by its inhouse design team. Over the years, Emirates’ numerous colourful and eye-catching aircraft livery have included bespoke designs to drive sponsorship brand association, and for special occasions such as the UAE’s 50th Jubilee livery, and Expo 2020 Dubai.

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