Emirates Transforms Aircraft Components into Sustainable Luxury Luggage
Emirates unveils an exclusive range of luxury luggage and accessories crafted from upcycled components of their iconic Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 planes, offering travelers the opportunity to own a unique piece of aviation history
CNN's sponsorship of this series has been provided by the country being featured, but CNN maintains complete editorial control over the content, reporting, and frequency of articles and videos in accordance with its policy. Emirates is set to release a collection of luggage and accessories made from upcycled parts of its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft, giving people the opportunity to own a piece of the iconic superjumbo.
The collection features suitcases, backpacks, handbags, cardholders, toiletry bags, belts, and shoes, all designed and crafted in-house by a dedicated team of tailors at an Emirates Engineering facility in Dubai.
Set to be released in 2024, the collection is completely customizable, allowing customers to request items tailored to their own specifications or even have their initials engraved. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to support children in need through the Emirates Airline Foundation.
As part of a comprehensive retrofit project encompassing 120 aircraft, new interiors are being installed. Emirates is taking an innovative approach by upcycling materials from First and Business classes for the collection, rather than simply recycling old cabin components.
The collection currently consists of seatbelts, headrests, leather from A380 lounges, and fur from the lining of cockpit seats. Emirates has already recovered over 30,000 pounds of materials from 16 aircraft and aims to obtain up to 595 pounds of leather and 1,382 pounds of seat fabric for each refurbished aircraft.
A piece of history
The Dubai Air Show in November showcased a variety of items from the collection, all crafted from leather sourced from First Class, Business class, and Sofa seats, as well as aluminum from headrests.
Ahmed Safa, Emirates divisional senior vice president for engineering, stated that the carry-on case and backpacks they have developed are generating significant interest. The leather used in these products is treated at their partner facility, then meticulously cleaned by hand, conditioned, and carefully disinfected before being crafted into the cases and bags. The items are finished with new lining, handles, and clasps. Emirates Engineering has an in-house workshop and a dedicated team handling most of these processes.
Safa explained that the designs for the products were conceptualized by their internal team, who drew inspiration from current styles and popular luggage shapes and functional backpacks to create unique patterns for each piece.
A team of 14 in-house tailors, known as the Engineering Maintenance Assistants, are responsible for maintaining cabin fittings for Emirates. Currently, four of them are dedicated to a specific project, as noted by Emirates.
When aircraft reach the end of their lifespan, they are typically recycled by specialized companies, with the potential to recover up to 90% of the materials for reuse. Emirates previously auctioned off several hundred items from a decommissioned A380 for charity. However, the materials used for their new collection are sourced from planes that are still in service and are being refreshed with redesigned cabins.
The retrofit process, which began in 2022 and is expected to take two years, involves a total of 67 A380s and 53 777s. This will result in approximately 4,000 new seats being installed and the refurbishment and upgrade of thousands of First Class suites and Business Class seats to new designs.
Emirates has previously auctioned items from one of its decommissioned A380s, including this upcycled bar, which sold for $50,000.
David Copeman of Emirates stated, "This massive aircraft retrofit initiative is unprecedented for Emirates, so we have never had access to these materials in such quantity before. Once the retrofit is done, there will be no more fabrics available. This is a unique opportunity to own a piece of aviation history."
Safa acknowledges that the work came with its fair share of challenges, particularly in finding a way to clean the fur lining on the Captains seats without causing any damage. The solution, he explains, involves using an air cleaning method and disinfection.
In the past, other airlines have also repurposed plane parts to create collections, such as Lufthansa, who introduced a line of home furniture and accessories made from components of a retired A340-600.
Nina Gbor, a sustainability expert and fashion educator, believes that while some upcycled products are often seen as lower quality, Emirates is setting a new standard by showing that upcycling can be both stylish and high-quality. Gbor appreciates the way Emirates has incorporated elements of the aircraft, such as seat belts, into their products, like using them as bag straps.
With the potential to recover large amounts of leather and fabric from each aircraft, Gbor hopes that Emirates will continue this initiative beyond just a limited edition. She also encourages other manufacturers to follow Emirates' lead by committing to redesign and repurpose their products using existing materials. Gbor sees this as a crucial step towards creating a circular economy that the world urgently needs.
