How Emirates turned aircraft parts into Arsenal’s crest

As the 2026/27 Premier League season kicks off today, all eyes turn to north London as Arsenal prepare to face Coventry City in the opening match at Emirates Stadium. The stadium is buzzing, fans are warming up and predictions are flying. But before the football takes centre stage, there is another Arsenal story worth discovering and this one begins thousands of kilometres away, in Dubai.

What connects Arsenal’s iconic crest to an Airbus A380-800, a Boeing B777-300ER and an air cargo shipment? More than you might think.

At the Directors Box and Diamond Club entrance stands the 2.4-metre Aircrafted Arsenal Crest, built by Emirates Engineering using components recovered from Emirates aircraft — machines that have already travelled the world carrying millions of passengers and thousands of tonnes of cargo. Now, parts of those aircraft have a second life as an icon of football history.

“We move unique cargo each day, but this was different. The Arsenal crest isn’t just another shipment. It’s the symbol of the club’s history and identity,” said Rahim Mirza, Manager, Cargo Hub Operations, Emirates SkyCargo, in an official video released by Emirates on the making and delivery iconic Arsenal crest. 

But how do you turn an aircraft wheel hub into the heart of an Arsenal cannon? How does fuselage skin become a crest? And how do cargo tracks, floor panels and cabin windows become part of one of football’s most recognisable symbols?

The brief was simple - can you build the Arsenal Crest with aircraft materials?

Answered Emirates Engineering.

“We have never built anything like this before,” said Rosal Erwin, Engineer, Aircraft Maintenance Workshop, Emirates Engineering.

Adding to that, Leandi Schoonraad, Manager, Emirates Aircrafted R&D, said, “None of these components was built to be pieced together. “

What followed was a 34-day engineering exercise involving a team of 15 experts.

Building an Arsenal crest from aircraft
The Dubai-based aviation company mentioned in a video that the challenge was to take components designed for entirely different purposes and turn them into a structurally sound sculpture while retaining the character of the original materials.

“The challenge was not just making it look like the Arsenal Crest, it was making it structurally sound while preserving the story of the aircraft materials,” added Erwin.

“When we started selecting which retired aircraft components could be repurposed for each part of the crest, the team began contributing ideas on how to best use the available materials. The aircraft team quickly identified the right components for each part of the crest. For the face of the crest, aluminium fuselage skin from a Boeing 777 was the go-to option.

Cargo tracks from an A380 would form the outer frame and internal structure. A strong and sturdy A380 wheel hub was fitting for the cannon wheel. A titanium duct assembly, built for heat, was the perfect choice for the cannon itself.

Floor panels were used to finish the cannon body and cabin windows would become the Arsenal typeface. Cargo rollers and aviation rivets would make up the finishing touches and really help bring the crest to life.”

Adding to that, Schoonraad said, “The Arsenal crest was designed around the centrepiece, which is the A380 wheel hub.” The materials were cleaned, cut, curved, machined, riveted, assembled and painted. In 34 days, the team created a 2.4-metre illuminated sculpture that carries visible traces of the aircraft from which it originated.

But the project was not simply about craftsmanship. It also created a connection between Arsenal’s industrial origins and the engineering culture of aviation.

The cannon and Arsenal’s industrial roots
Arsenal’s cannon has been part of the club’s visual identity for more than a century.

The club was founded in 1886 as Dial Square by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, southeast London. Its first crest appeared in 1905, based on the Woolwich Borough coat of arms and featuring three cannons. The symbol reflected Woolwich’s military and manufacturing heritage.

Arsenal moved north to Highbury in 1913, but the cannon remained. It appeared in different forms through the club’s subsequent crest designs, including the Victoria Concordia Crescit crest introduced in 1949 and the modern crest unveiled in 2002.

The decision to rebuild the cannon using aircraft components therefore carries an added significance.

Andy Kelly, Co-founder, AISA Arsenal History Society said, “Arsenal was born in a munitions factory in Woolwich in 1886. Working men and women, engineers building things with their hands. So there's something fitting about a new generation of engineers building a physical crest using aircraft parts. It's a true tribute to the club's roots.”

The connection also extends to the way the sculpture was built. Erwin added, “It was a new challenge for the team. Even though the crest will never fly, we apply the same discipline, workmanship standards that we use on an operational aircraft.”

From aircraft to Aircrafted
The project forms part of Emirates’ broader Aircrafted upcycling initiative, which seeks to give materials removed from aircraft another purpose.

Schoonraad said, “In simple terms, the upcycling programme is about taking materials from retired or refreshed Emirates aircraft and turning them into something new.”

Maite Gonzalez Eizaguirre, Head, Emirates Aircrafted said, “It is a great source of parts that cannot fly any longer and we will take them over in order to produce new products.”

The initiative developed alongside Emirates’ major aircraft retrofit programme, launched in 2022. The airline began a multi-billion-dollar programme to refurbish the interiors of 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. The retrofit created an opportunity to recover materials removed from the aircraft and explore new applications for them.

By November 2023, Emirates had recovered more than 14,000kg of material from 16 retrofitted aircraft. Materials including leather, seat fabrics, seatbelts and aluminium were subsequently transformed into luggage, bags and other accessories.

The Aircrafted Arsenal Crest takes the concept a step further — turning aircraft materials into a large-scale sporting and cultural installation. Schoonraad added, “It was the first time we really worked to bring two very strong brands together.”

When air cargo became part of the story
Once the crest was completed, another aviation operation came into play. Carefully packaged in a custom-built protective crate, the sculpture was handed over to Emirates SkyCargo for its journey from Dubai to London Stansted.

The cargo carrier drew on its experience in handling specialised and delicate shipments to ensure the one-of-a-kind installation reached its destination safely.

There is a certain symmetry to the journey. Aircraft components were used to create the crest. Cargo-related aircraft components helped form its structure. And air cargo then transported the finished sculpture to the stadium where it would be displayed.

The installation now stands at the Directors Box and Diamond Club entrance at Emirates Stadium — the home of Arsenal since 2006.

A second life for aviation history
The aircraft from which these materials came have already had long careers connecting people, businesses and markets around the world. They have carried millions of passengers and thousands of tonnes of cargo across international routes. Their flying lives eventually come to an end. But the materials do not necessarily have to.

Emirates has been exploring how components from its aircraft can be given a meaningful second life — transforming pieces of its “steel birds” into objects that can remain with people long after the aircraft have stopped flying.

The Arsenal crest represents a different kind of second life. Instead of becoming a piece of luggage or an accessory, aircraft materials have become part of an enduring football symbol. And that makes the cannon particularly appropriate. It began as a representation of Arsenal’s industrial and military roots in Woolwich. More than a century later, it has been rebuilt through another highly technical industry: aviation.

20 years of Arsenal and Emirates
The crest also marks another milestone — 20 years of the Arsenal and Emirates partnership. First established in 2006, the relationship has now been extended through 2033, with Emirates continuing as Arsenal’s front-of-shirt, training-kit and stadium naming-rights partner.

The Aircrafted Arsenal Crest gives that partnership a physical form, bringing together Arsenal’s heritage with Emirates’ engineering, sustainability and air cargo expertise.

For Arsenal, it is a new chapter in the story of one of football’s most recognisable symbols. For Emirates Engineering, it was an opportunity to apply aircraft-grade precision to a very different kind of structure. And for Emirates SkyCargo, it became a shipment that carried far more than a physical object from Dubai to London.

Richard Garlick, Chief Executive Officer, Arsenal FC said, “I think it's just a fitting tribute to all the work that's been done in the past that's got us to where we are today and it shows a real belief in the future and what we can do together.”

As Emirates puts it, “History in the making” — a fitting description for a crest that brings together materials from aircraft that have already travelled the world, Arsenal’s industrial roots and a partnership that has connected the two brands for two decades.

Parts that once flew across continents now have a permanent place at Arsenal’s home, giving aviation materials a second life as an icon of football, engineering, air cargo and heritage.