Emirates Transforms Aircraft Parts Into a Giant Arsenal Crest
Emirates and Arsenal have unveiled the Aircrafted Arsenal Crest, a 2.4-metre illuminated sculpture made from upcycled aircraft components. The installation was created in Dubai by Emirates Engineering before being flown to London for permanent display at Emirates Stadium.
The project marks 20 years of the Emirates-Arsenal partnership and its extension through 2033. More importantly, it turns retired aviation materials into a highly visible piece of football design, linking aircraft engineering with Arsenal’s visual identity.
How the Aircrafted Arsenal Crest Was Made
The sculpture took 34 days to complete, with a team of 15 engineers, designers, mechanics, technicians and painters working on the project.
First, Emirates Engineering’s Aircraft Material Upcycling team selected components according to their strength, shape and potential for reuse. The parts were then cleaned, cut, curved, machined, riveted and assembled into the final structure.
The design centres on Arsenal’s cannon, one of the club’s most recognisable symbols. An Airbus A380 main landing gear wheel hub forms the cannon wheel, while a titanium bleed-air duct was reshaped into its barrel.
Meanwhile, composite aircraft floor panels create the cannon’s three-dimensional body. Boeing 777 aluminium fuselage skin forms the shield, while aircraft cargo tracks help construct its outer edge and internal framework.
The material choices also create a direct visual connection between aviation and football. Aircraft windows were individually shaped to form the Arsenal lettering, while warm-white lighting gives the crest a sculptural presence after dark.
Engineering Becomes Football Design
The project is notable because it treats discarded aircraft material as a design resource rather than simply industrial waste. Consequently, components originally engineered for strength, durability and function gain a new role as symbolic objects.
The one-metre-wide? No—the crest stands 2.4 metres tall, giving the recycled components a monumental scale. Its black tiled base and integrated lighting further shift the materials from an industrial context into an architectural and display environment.
The finished sculpture was painted in Arsenal’s official colours before being transported from Dubai to London on an Emirates SkyCargo freighter.
Arsenal’s cannon has appeared in every version of the club emblem since 1905. Therefore, rebuilding it from an A380 wheel hub creates a particularly direct connection between the club’s history and Emirates’ aviation heritage.
The Aircrafted Arsenal Crest was unveiled by Emirates President Sir Tim Clark and Arsenal Chief Executive Richard Garlick ahead of Arsenal’s Emirates Cup match against Borussia Dortmund.
It will now remain on permanent display in Emirates’ hospitality space at Emirates Stadium. In addition, the sculpture extends the partnership beyond sponsorship and branding into material culture, engineering and contemporary design.
The project demonstrates how industrial components can acquire new cultural meaning through craftsmanship and context. Ultimately, the crest functions as both a football symbol and a physical record of the engineering relationship between Emirates and Arsenal.