Airline Unveils Exclusive Head-to-Tail A380 Livery and Exclusive Flight Services to Celebrate Start of 2024-25 NBA Season
As the Official Global Airline Partner of the NBA and the inaugural title partner of the Emirates NBA Cup, Emirates celebrates the arrival of the highly anticipated 2024-25 NBA season with an eye-catching head-to-tail livery dedicated to the championship. The livery captures the spirit of the marketing partnership between Emirates and the NBA and will begin making its way across the airline’s global network with flights starting next week.
The new livery features a striking blue shade on the fuselage, punctuated by the NBA logo. The distinctive Emirates lettering has transformed from its unique gold font to red, appearing alongside an illustration of a basketball bouncing between the NBA and Emirates logos. The new fuselage look is complemented by vibrant red engine covers decorated with the distinctive white calligraphy that makes up the Emirates logo.
The Emirates-NBA A380 livery has been completely repainted, as part of an elaborate project that included design, painting, manufacturing and installation to bring the customized aircraft to life. The process, completely carried out in-house by teams at the Emirates Engineering Aircraft Appearance Centre, took 24 days to complete, including stripping, painting and graphics application processes.
From November 1st until December 17th, in conjunction with the Emirates NBA Cup, customers will be able to experience NBA-inspired products and services on board flights to and from 14 locations across the United States and Canada. Emirates’ NBA-themed livery is one of only four aircraft in the airline’s fleet with fully customized designs from tip to tail.
Passengers in each cabin will board to see the aircraft dressed in co-branded headrests, receive drinks served on specially designed coasters and be able to order from themed pitchside menus. The airline will serve sports-inspired dishes and drinks across all cabin classes and to passengers mingling at the Onboard Lounge on flights operated by the iconic A380 aircraft. Basketball fans will also be able to watch selected Emirates NBA Cup matches live on Sport24 on ice, Emirates’ in-flight entertainment system.
Prior to flights, customers can also enjoy a limited-time NBA-themed menu at Emirates lounges in Dubai, New York JFK, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston.
Boutros Boutros, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand at Emirates said: “We are proud to be the official global airline partner of the NBA and the inaugural title partner of the Emirates NBA Cup. The new livery is a celebration of the partnership of marketing and gaming that unites people from all over the world and we hope to spread the passion and connect with fans from all basketball-loving nations through our network. We look forward to introducing unique in-flight experiences starting next month, with an array of NBA-themed products and services to inspire and delight our customers.”
The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup will begin on Tuesday, November 12 with a doubleheader on TNT with the New York Knicks visiting the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 PM ET, followed by the Golden State Warriors hosting the Dallas Mavericks at 10:00 PM ET. Group play will continue through Tuesday, December 3, with each team playing four designated group play games on “Cup Nights” on Tuesday and Friday.
Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, which will consist of single-elimination quarterfinal games played in NBA team markets on Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Wednesday, Dec. 11 and culminate with the single-elimination semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 14 and Championship Tuesday, Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Further information on the Emirates NBA Cup is available here.
Basketball fans can own a special piece of the NBA with limited edition replica aircraft models in the new livery, as well as other items available at the Emirates Official Store.
