Airline Launches Student Programme for Upcycled Materials

Emirates Engineering has launched Material Futures Studio, a six-week programme that challenges university students to reimagine retired aircraft materials and transform them into new products. Led by the Upcycling department within Emirates Engineering, the programme brings students together with aviation professionals to work on real-world industry challenges.

The first edition brought together 23 students representing Khalifa University, Emirates Aviation University and the University of Sharjah. The programme began with an orientation and tour of Emirates Engineering's facilities, where students engaged with senior leaders and gained insight into maintenance operations like A-check and C-checks on the Emirates fleet, as well as the upcycling shop where materials are repurposed.

Over the six weeks, students will use their learnings to develop concepts and ideas to upcycle and reuse aircraft materials into new products, guided by Emirates Engineering team members during ideation and concept development. The programme will conclude with a final showcase, where students present their concepts and prototypes.

Emirates has undertaken a multi-billion-dollar fleet retrofit programme to refurbish 219 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. Materials retrieved from retrofit aircraft are repurposed through upcycling initiatives led in-house by Emirates Engineering in Dubai, which transforms retired aircraft materials into handcrafted products.

Material Futures Studio builds on the airline's other upcycling efforts, including the Aircrafted by Emirates collection of luggage, bags and accessories made from reclaimed aircraft materials, and the Aircrafted KIDS initiative, which transforms recovered materials into backpacks for children. More than 4,000 backpacks have been donated to children across 11 countries.