Emirates Will Recycle Its First Retired A380 In the UAE

Emirates, the world’s largest operator of Airbus A380s intends to recycle its first retired double-decker jet in the UAE, reducing the environmental effect of dismantling the aircraft and the quantity of garbage transferred to landfills.

The bar and other cabin elements of the first-generation A380 will be converted into furniture, aviation artefacts, and retail goods that will be available for sale in the coming months, the airline announced on Monday. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Emirate Airline Foundation, the airline’s charitable arm.

“Through this initiative, our customers and enthusiast will be able to take home a piece of aviation history while preserving important materials from landfills and donating to a good cause through the Emirates Airline Foundation,” said Sir Tim Clark, President of the Airline.

“It is a graceful and appropriate retirement option for this aircraft and our flagship.”

 Jets that are no longer in service are often placed in long-term storage facilities or disassembled for parts that are taken out and reused in other planes or recycled by a third party. Aviation specialists anticipate that the worldwide jet recycling business will expand as the number of aircraft and parts available for dismantling surged dramatically during the Covid-19 epidemic.

The airline secured a contract with Falcon Aircraft Recycling, UAE to recycle and upcycle its first decommissioned A380. Its 13-year-old superjumbo rolled off the assembly line at Airbus’ Hamburg site in July 2008.

“This is our most ambitious project to date, it will be the first deconstruction of an A380 outside of Europe”, said Andrew Tonks, Head of Falcon Aircraft Recycling.

“The recovery effort will be delivered entirely within the UAE, ensuring that the vast majority of the aircraft will find new life”.

Emirates’ first A380, previously known as A6-EDA, was decommissioned after 6,319 flights to 62 locations across the world, beginning with its maiden commercial trip from Dubai to New York JFK in August 1^st 2008. On March 8^th 2020, it flew its final commercial trip from Singapore to Dubai.