Emirates rolls out 'Year of Tolerance' Airbus A380 ahead of UAE National Day flight

The special livery will make its debut for the one-off flight

Emirates' Year of Tolerance’ A380 is ready for the historic flight. Courtesy Emirates

Emirates has rolled out its special Year of Tolerance A380 livery ahead of its first flight this weekend.

The striking design is being used for the Dubai airline's one-off National Day flight, which it says "brings together the diverse, multi-cultural communities of the UAE" when it takes off on Friday.

The livery depicts a panorama of people from different backgrounds and cultures, each holding hands in a show of solidarity. The image can be seen on both sides of the aircraft.

UAE residents were invited to apply for a seat on the flight, with the aim of hosting as many nationalities as possible on board.

The airline said at the time that selection was carried out "via multiple criteria, but passengers need to reside in the UAE in order to qualify".

The final number of nationalities will be revealed on Friday.

The flight, EK2019, will be airborne - at low altitude - for about an hour and a half, and Emirates has revealed the route so that residents on the ground can catch a glimpse.

It will be visible off the coast of Umm Al Quwain at about 11.45am, Ras Al Khaimah at around 11.55am and Fujairah at about 12.05pm.

It will then alter its course to head to Al Ain and should be off the coast of Abu Dhabi at about 12.25pm before making its way to Sharjah corniche at 12.35pm and Ajman at 12.45pm before flying along the Dubai coastline and landing back at Dubai International Airport at approximately 1pm.

Emirates also has plans to make the flight more environmentally friendly.

"We are exploring different opportunities to offset the emissions of this flight and planning is already under way on an initiative which will be announced soon." an Emirates spokesperson told The National.

The Year of Tolerance aircraft will then enter regular service to Emirates' network of A380 destinations for the next 12 months, the airline said.

On average, Emirates carries more than 50 nationalities on any given flight across its network.

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A380 through the years

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Holiday weekend

Friday, November 29 marks the start of a holiday period for UAE residents.

Following on from the weekend will be three days of public holiday to mark Commemoration Day and the country's 48th National Day.

Flybys are a common occurrence on big occasions in the UAE - last year Etihad Airways, Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia linked up with Al Fursan, the Emirates' aerobatics demonstration team, to mark National Day with a spectacular show.

Meanwhile, as a result of the festivities, and the Abu Dhabi F1 weekend, Emirates has warned travellers passing through Dubai International Airport to arrive early with more than 40,000 passengers expected.

Special liveries

Emirates has rolled out a host of special liveries this year with the Year of Tolerance the latest.

Last week saw the special spacecraft theme take to the skies for the first time when the A380 flew to and from Melbourne.

The livery celebrates the UAE’s debut space mission, which saw Hazza Al Mansouri become the first Emirati astronaut in space.

Other liveries this year include the Rugby and Cricket world cups.