Did Emirates A380 Flight Really Take-Off With A Huge Santa's Sleigh? Official Christmas Video Sparks Discussion

Emirates has added its signature flair to the Christmas season with a playful and visually striking holiday campaign. On December 23, the Dubai-based airline shared a festive video on X (formerly Twitter), offering Christmas wishes in a way only Emirates could, by transforming its iconic Airbus A380 into a flying sleigh.

Meet the ‘Sleigh380’: Emirates’ holiday showstopper

The star of the video is Emirates’ flagship double-decker aircraft, reimagined as the “Sleigh380.” The A380 appears fully wrapped in Christmas imagery, featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer—Santa’s famous helper, complete with a glowing red nose secured by harness-style straps. A large Christmas wreath crowns the aircraft, with reindeer antlers emerging for added festive drama.

Rudolph, now a global pop culture icon, was originally created in 1939 by Robert L. May as part of a children’s booklet. Emirates cleverly taps into this nostalgia, blending aviation grandeur with holiday storytelling.

Gifts, ground crew and a magical takeoff

The video also shows Emirates’ ground staff loading brightly wrapped presents onto an oversized sleigh attached to the aircraft. Once the gifts are stacked, the Sleigh380 races down the runway and lifts off into a wintery sky, symbolising Santa’s long-haul global gift delivery, Emirates style.

The airline captioned the post: “Introducing the Sleigh380. Santa’s going long-haul this year! Merry Christmas from Emirates.”

Internet reacts with humor and applause

While clearly an AI-generated visual, the video quickly won over viewers online. Social media users responded with witty comments, joking about aviation safety, elf-and-safety regulations, and Santa upgrading to first class on an A380. Many praised the campaign for doing exactly what good marketing should, bringing joy and sparking conversation rather than pushing a hard sell.

The festive digital spectacle was created by Dubai-based reel creator and creative director Mostafa Eldiast, a long-time collaborator of Emirates. The airline credited him for “lovingly handcrafting” the visuals. Eldiast has previously been responsible for several of Emirates’ viral A380 campaigns that blend cutting-edge digital art with brand storytelling.