Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia in epic flypast for UAE national day
KUWAIT: Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia and Al-Fursan took to the skies in unison to celebrate the UAE’s 47th National Day, as well as commemorate the legacy and values of HH Sheikh Zayed, the late founding father of the UAE.
The formation flight aims to showcase the country’s aviation success story to the nation and world.
The spectacular flypast - a world-first and a UAE civil aviation milestone - involved over 11 aircraft: a flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 (Zayed 1), an Air Arabia Airbus A320 (Zayed 2), an Etihad Airways Airbus A380 (Zayed 3) and an Emirates Airline Airbus A380 (Zayed 4), as well as seven Al Fursan aerobatic display jets from the UAE Air Force. All of the commercial aircraft within the formation were emblazoned with ‘Year of Zayed’ decals. This is also the first time this unique combination of aircraft types fly in formation.
The aircraft were proudly commanded by Captain Adrian Smith from flydubai, Nadhem Al-Hamad from Air Arabia, Captain Richard Dyson from Etihad Airways and Captain Abbas Shaban from Emirates Airline. The Al Fursan team was led by Lieutenant Colonel Nasser Al-Obaidli.
Formation and flight path
The carefully choreographed ‘stair step’ aerial formation began at 12:00 pm, when the aircraft took-off from Dubai World Central Al-Maktoum International Airport. Once all of the aircraft established their holding positions with altitudes ranging from 2,000 feet to 5,000 feet with a 1,000 foot vertical separation, the formation commenced. Over the skies of Ras Al-Khaimah, each aircraft adjusted its speed and turned to achieve a trail formation. The aircraft then descended into their positions and vertical separation was reduced to 300 feet.
Flying first in the ‘Year of Zayed’ formation was flydubai, cruising at an altitude of 1,000 feet and an airspeed of 210 knots, closely followed by Air Arabia, in line astern and stepped up at an altitude of 1,300 feet. Next came the Etihad Airbus A380 double-decker, trailing the first two aircraft and flying at 1,600 feet, stepped up by the Emirates Airbus A380 flying at the highest altitude at 1,900 feet to make room for the seven Al Fursan jets set in an arrow formation ready to release their signature smoke trails in the colours of the UAE flag.
Together, the stunning UAE carrier formation flew with impressive precision across the coastline of the UAE, starting at Ras Al-Khaimah, continuing on to Um Al-Quwain and Ajman, and then passing landmarks including the Sharjah Corniche, Dubai’s Palm and World Islands with the Burj Khalifa skyline in the background, and finally crossing the Abu Dhabi Corniche and the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, where all aircraft then split and continued on to their respective airports for landing.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, and Chairman of flydubai said: “Sheikh Zayed was a true pioneer and one of the most inspirational leaders of our time. It is fitting that on UAE National Day, such a spectacular aerial display be done to honour his legacy. This ground-breaking initiative showcases how unity and a shared vision can achieve outstanding results. I am immensely proud of all of the teams across every airline, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, and all the organizations who came together to plan and execute today’s unprecedented flight formation which will go down as an extraordinary moment for UAE civil aviation.”
Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al-Mazrouei, Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, said:: “Today’s historic formation flight by the UAE’s airlines demonstrates the collective strength and immense capabilities of our country’s aviation sector. The strong foundations of the UAE’s aviation sector, established less than 50 years ago, enabled the breath-taking feat to take place and we look forward to more occasions like this in years to come. The four carriers annually connect more than 100 million air travellers using a combined fleet of more than 450 aircraft, via our UAE home, to 500 destinations in all corners of the globe. The UAE is the world’s leading hub, facilitating the flow of international trade and commerce between east and west. Etihad Aviation Group is proud to be a member of the great family of UAE carriers and to contribute to the UAE’s economy as well as those around the world.”