Beautiful initiative, well done: Sheikh Mohammed praises Emirates Airline's video
- 22 hours ago
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, commented on a video posted by Emirates Airlines, which he shared on his X page, as “A beautiful initiative.”
He thanked Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline & Group, saying: “Well done.”
The video highlights Emirates Airline’s initiative to reuse more than 37,000 kilogrammes of interior materials from its 191 aircraft retrofit and refurbishment programme, as part of its environmental strategy that includes a commitment to responsible consumption.
The airline is using the replaced materials to produce thousands of handmade backpacks and school bags for children, which it will donate to schools and organizations supporting early education in Africa and Asia this year.
The Emirates Engineering Centre team reused Economy Class seat fabrics on 22 of the Airbus A380s that had been retrofitted. The team recovered 5,205 kilograms of material from these aircraft, including seat fabric made of 95 per cent wool and per cent nylon, sourced from Germany and Ireland.
The team found these materials to be ideal for recycling due to their durability and non-flammable nature and decided to use them to make high-quality backpacks for children in need.
At the Emirates Engineering Centre’s workshop, a dedicated team of tailors creatively designed a complete range of backpacks for children of all ages. They worked with the Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand to identify the charities, schools and orphanages through which the bags would be distributed over the coming months.
The Emirates team spent several weeks designing the bags, ensuring they were safe, comfortable, and suitable for children. All fabrics are washed in-house, hand-cleaned and thoroughly sanitized before being stitched to produce durable, high-quality bags, complete with brand-new linings, practical zippers, and adjustable straps.