Emirates Airbus A380 livery celebrating Hazza Al Mansouri's space mission makes first flight

The A380 flew from Dubai to Melbourne sporting UAE in Space livery

Emirates new spacecraft livery has completed its first successful commercial round-trip from Dubai to Melbourne. Courtesy Emirates
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Emirates newest livery landed back in Dubai on Saturday after completing its first commercial round-trip.

Flight EK408 flew to and from Melbourne sporting special spacecraft livery depicting an astronaut in space.

The A380 super-jumbo completed the almost 27-hour round trip to mark the first commercial flight of the exclusive livery. Earth and the International Space Station are also depicted in the livery.

The aircraft -  registered A6-EEH - also has a quotation from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, vice president of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.

It reads:  “The sky is only the beginning”

The livery pays tribute to the UAE’s debut space mission which saw Hazza Al Mansouri become the first Emirati astronaut in space. He is also the first person ever to give a tour of the International Space Station in Arabic.

Maj Al Mansouri took the UAE flag and 30 ghaf seeds from the UAE in to space with him. The seeds are the symbol of the country's year of tolerance.

The trip was part of the country's mission to become a hub for space exploration.

Emirates first revealed details of its spacecraft livery the day after Maj Al Mansouri successfully returned to the UAE from space.

The Emirates UAE in Space livery A380 will continue to fly to various destinations across the airline's network over the next year.