DUBAI, 2 November 2021: Emirates has signed a contract with UAE-based Falcon Aircraft Recycling on a pioneering initiative to upcycle and recycle its first retired A380 aircraft, dramatically reducing the environmental impact of the deconstruction process and reducing landfill waste.

The extensive materials recovery and repurposing activities will be entirely conducted in the UAE, the airline’s home base, further reducing the project’s environmental footprint.

Increasingly, retired aircraft are flown to remote locations and left to languish after being stripped for parts. Traditional salvage and recycling projects focus on recovering only profitable components, thereby leaving behind a substantial portion of the aircraft and materials that go into landfill or sit idle indefinitely for years. Also, many aircraft items can be difficult to recycle or dispose of, for instance, fire retardant fabrics and composite materials.

Emirates airline president Sir Tim Clark said: “We are delighted to partner with Falcon Aircraft Recycling on this first-of-its-kind project. That all repurposing activity will be fully executed in the UAE also speaks to the strong aviation eco-system and capabilities that the nation has built up in its short history. Through this initiative, our customers and fans can take home a piece of aviation history while saving valuable materials from landfill and contributing to a charitable cause through the Emirates Airline Foundation. It’s an elegant and fitting retirement solution for this iconic aircraft and our flagship.”

After completing its last commercial mission, A6-EDA, the first A380 ever delivered to Emirates, was retired from service and brought to the airline’s Engineering Centre, where Emirates engineers retrieved serviceable components such as engines, landing gears and flight control components. The aircraft was then deregistered and handed over to the Falcon Aircraft Recycling team to begin the process of carefully breaking down the aircraft.

Partnering with Wings Craft, another UAE-based firm that specialises in producing custom furniture and merchandise from aircraft materials, Falcon Aircraft Recycling will design and manufacture unique collectables and retail items from the materials and parts removed from the aircraft. These items will be launched for sale in phases over the coming months.

A portion of profits from the sale of all items upcycled and recycled from Emirates’ first retired A380 will benefit the Emirates Airline Foundation.

Emirates’ first A380, previously operating as A6-EDA entered commercial service on the Dubai-New York JFK on 1 August 2008.

It undertook its last commercial flight, 8 March 2020, on the route Singapore-Dubai, having completed  6,319 flights.

Falcon Aircraft Recycling

Founded in 2013, Falcon Aircraft Recycling is the first fully accredited aircraft recycling operation in the UAE with deconstruction programmes at Dubai Industrial City and Fujairah International Airports. 

Emirates Airline Foundation

​​​​​​​The foundation currently supports 14 projects in nine countries,  helping to improve the lives of children in need around the world regardless of geographical, political or religious boundaries.
Visit: www.emiratesairlinefoundation.org.