Emirates kicks off a global distribution of handmade children’s backpacks made from upcycled aircraft interiors, starting in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia
Dubai, UAE, 19 February 2025: Supporting children’s education and making meaningful connections within the communities it serves, Emirates has engaged with 6 entities across Africa to provide more than 1,300 handmade schoolbags and essential stationary supplies to young students. Each schoolbag is a piece of history - a limited-edition bag from Emirates’ Aircrafted range, made from the fabrics and parts of Emirates’ iconic aircraft. The distribution across Africa kickstarts a larger initiative by Emirates to repurpose and upcycle materials for the benefit of children across the globe.

Aircrafted Kids by Emirates goes to Africa

In Zimbabwe, Emirates collaborated with St Marcellin's Children’s Village Trust and Rose of Sharon, two not-for-profit entities that care for vulnerable children, and provide a nurturing and inspirational space for children’s education. In Zambia, Emirates partnered with the Kucetekela Foundation, supporting academically promising, financially disadvantaged children, and the Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) Zambia, protecting families and vulnerable children and strengthening communities through economic empowerment and education. In Ethiopia, Emirates worked with Bravehearts Ethiopia, an NGO devoted to empowering vulnerable children with a focus on quality education, and also with Roots Ethiopia, which focuses on supporting several aspects of children’s education, specifically in rural areas. Through the Emirates Airline Foundation, Emirates has a long history of supporting children’s welfare programmes, and Aircrafted Kids is an extension of this work.

Emirates has a local office in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Ethiopia, so each entity was visited by the Emirates Country Manager and their team members, who helped pack the bags and distribute them, and were eager to connect with the organisations who do such important work in the community. Inside the bags, Emirates provided school supplies such as stationary, calculators and essentials, as well as books from local authors that blend culturally rich stories with interactive learning opportunities.

The next stops on the Aircrafted Kids schoolbags trail are India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with several more to follow.

The making of Aircrafted Kids schoolbags

As part of an environmental strategy that includes responsible consumption, Emirates committed to repurposing more than 50,000 kilograms of materials, from 205 aircraft that are undergoing a cabin interior refit and refresh. The team at Emirates Engineering brainstormed a myriad of ways in which the old materials could be reused and upcycled and settled on a range of sturdy backpacks. The high-quality seat fabric of Emirates Economy Class seats is 95% wool and 5% nylon, a flat weave structure sourced from Germany and Ireland which is ideal for upcycling due to its durability and non-flammable nature.

In a dedicated workshop at Emirates, a team of 14 Engineering Maintenance Assistants creatively designed and tailored a whole range of backpacks for children of different ages. The Emirates Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand team then identified charitable entities, schools and foundations, where the bags could be distributed for most impact, communicating with the NGOs on what their preferences would be. The teams spent weeks researching styles, ensuring the bags were safe and comfortable for children to use. Across all the bag designs, the fabrics were professionally laundered, then further deep cleaned by hand, leather-conditioned for the accents, and thoroughly disinfected before being sewn into unique pieces. Brand new lining was added to the bags, along with functional zippers and adjustable straps, before being packed into specially branded ‘Aircrafted Kids’ boxes and shipped to their final destinations.

With the transport and logistics fully supported by Emirates’ SkyCargo teams, and dnata Logistics across the continents – Aircrafted Kids by Emirates connected the community of employees within Emirates to achieve a meaningful goal.

Aircrafted by Emirates Limited Edition Luggage for sale

Emirates fans can also get involved in this ‘connecting communities’ initiative, by purchasing limited edition luggage in the coming months, as the Aircrafted by Emirates retail range prepares to launch a second phase of the capsule collection. Like the first collection, which sold out in a matter of days - proceeds after costs are donated to Emirates Airline Foundation supporting humanitarian projects around the world.