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Emirates Airlines Redefines “Extra” With Boeing 777 Covered in Diamonds

Today’s important Internet lesson is that you should never believe everything you read or see on the Internet. The prank Emirates Airlines unknowingly played on the public earlier this month is proof of that.
Boeing 777 covered in diamonds fools the Internet into thinking it's the real deal 9 photos
Photo: Twitter / Emirates Airlines
The Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jetThe Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jetThe Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jetThe Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jetThe Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jetThe Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jetThe Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jetThe Qatar Amiri Boeing 747-8i, the world's largest business jet
Last week, the airline company tweeted a photo of what looked like a blinged out Boeing 777. It came with a caption that hinted the plane covered in diamonds and crystals was real, saying, “Presenting the Emirates ‘Bling’ 777.” “Image created by Sara Shakeel,” the caption further said.

Now, if you’ve read that carefully, you will have noticed that the second half of the caption makes it clear that this is just an image of a 777 apparently covered in diamonds. At the same time, a simple Google search can reveal that the artist in question, Shakeel, is famous for recreating photos of famous landmarks of pop culture icons in crystals.

However, not many people paid too much attention to the caption – if any at all. They all jumped to the conclusion that the Dubai-based airline had, indeed, created the epitome of “extra:” a plane so exclusive and so expensive that it was entirely covered in diamonds.

Of these people, the majority rushed to criticize the airline company. Surely, in a world where children died of hunger and thirst, there would be smarter ways to spend money than to cover a plane in precious stones, they said. Others worried about the safety of the passengers and what adding those stones to the plane did to its aerodynamics. Fewer prayed some of those stones fell off in flight, and landed conveniently in their backyard.

Because too many people rushed to assume that such an outrageous plane really existed, Shakeel herself took to her Instagram to set the record straight – but not before having some fun at the naivety of those very people.

So, to be clear: the blinged out 777 Emirates boasted about on social media doesn’t really exist. It’s just an edited photo of a regular 777, meant as a joke which, hilariously, got taken too literally.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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