The influence of Middle Eastern entities in the English Premier League (EPL) has become a prominent feature of English football over the past two decades. Middle Eastern countries, especially those in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), have established their presence with state-owned entities sponsoring or owning teams entirely. These companies include airlines, with football fans often knowing which airline sponsors their favorite team since they appear prominently on jerseys and in stadiums.

Many of the largest and most influential EPL teams — Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle United — have Middle Eastern carriers as their official airlines. 

The Middle Eastern airlines sponsoring English teams are Emirates, Etihad Airways, Saudia, and Oman Air. The relationship between EPL teams and GCC carriers often takes different forms, from airline logos appearing on the players' jerseys to home stadiums being named after airlines. 

Emirates and Arsenal

Since 2004, Emirates and Arsenal have created one of the world's most well-known partnerships between an airline and a sports team. Many Arsenal jerseys have Fly Emirates prominently on the front, and the team's home stadium is named Emirates Stadium. The Dubai-based airline has sponsored Emirates Stadium since its construction in 2004 before opening in 2006. Emirates expanded its involvement with Arsenal in 2006 by sponsoring the team's men's, women's, and academy shirts that both players and fans can wear. 

Emirates' collaboration with Arsenal has proven successful over the years. In 2012, the airline extended its original stadium sponsorship deal to 2028 and the shirt sponsorship agreement until 2019 through a £150 million ($191 million) deal. The shirt sponsorship agreement was later extended in 2018 through a £200 million ($254 million) renewal until 2024. Emirates extended its shirt sponsorship deal yet again in August 2023, with an expiration date of 2028. The continuous renewal of the partnership between Emirates and Arsenal over the past 19 years suggests the airline will sponsor the team for decades to come. 
 

The Emirates sponsorship has helped establish Dubai as a global tourist destination. Aside from winning five Emirates FA Cups over the past two decades (although Arsenal's last Premier League title was in the 2003-04 season, before the Emirates partnership), Arsenal has contributed to the UAE's economy. The team has played multiple games in Dubai, a recent example being the Dubai Super Cup in December 2022. Furthermore, Arsenal players use an Emirates A380 to transport themselves to away games.
 

Etihad Airways and Manchester City

Etihad Airways' partnership with Manchester City is another well-known example of the collaboration between the aviation and sports industries. The airline appears prominently on the front of team jerseys, and the club's home stadium is named Etihad Stadium. Manchester City has also been one of the most successful EPL teams of the 21st century, having won seven Premier League titles over the past 15 years, including three consecutive titles since 2021. The team's other accolades include three Emirates FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League title. This success has occurred with Etihad Airways as Manchester City's official airline.
 

Etihad Airways started sponsoring Manchester City in 2009, with the original deal involving the appearance of Etihad branding on team shirts and the stadium and international community engagement. In 2011, both entities agreed to expand their partnership through a ten-year deal to rename Manchester City's home stadium to Etihad Stadium. Etihad's sponsorship of Manchester City is £67.5 million ($86 million) annually. This agreement was established after Abu Dhabi United Group purchased the team in 2008, with the state-owned firm owning 81% of Manchester City's parent company, City Football Group Limited. Etihad was state-owned until it was privatized in October 2022.

Etihad has made other major investments into Manchester City besides team shirts and the stadium. Since 2019, Etihad has operated a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with Manchester City livery. This aircraft replaced an Airbus A330-200 that became the team's official plane in 2011. The Dreamliner has flown regular passengers to over 60 destinations worldwide and is occasionally used by the team. The most recent usage of the Dreamliner for team purposes was in June when Etihad flew the entire team home from Istanbul after winning the 2023 UEFA Champions League. Manchester City has contributed to Abu Dhabi's economy by hosting the Manchester City Abu Dhabi Cup and the Treble Trophy Tour in Abu Dhabi to engage local fans. 
 

Oman Air and Chelsea

Unlike Arsenal and Manchester City, the average football fan likely does not know about Chelsea's official airline. Chelsea does not have airline names on team merchandise, branded stadiums, or sponsorship from a name-brand airline that flies to hundreds of destinations worldwide. Before this year, the team did not publicly release information about its airline sponsor or even have an aircraft with Chelsea livery. This changed in July when Oman's state-owned flag carrier, Oman Air, signed a multi-year deal to become Chelsea's official airline. 

Oman Air's partnership with Chelsea involves the airline's branding at the team's home stadium, Stamford Bridge, and a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with branded livery. The aircraft will be used for Oman Air's daily service between Muscat International Airport (MCT) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). It is currently unknown if the Dreamliner will ever be used for transporting the team.

Oman Air will benefit from sponsoring Chelsea due to the team's large global fanbase, which could help attract more international tourists to Oman. This partnership is expected to be less publicized than those involving other European football teams, especially considering that an airline has not appeared on Chelsea's shirts since Bahrain's Gulf Air in 1983 and 1984.
 

Saudia and Newcastle United

The final EPL team with a Middle Eastern airline sponsor is Newcastle United. This team is much less famous internationally due to a lack of major accolades, with the most recent Premier League and FA Cup titles being in 1927 and 1955, respectively.

Newcastle United's poor historical performance led to the team being relegated to the second tier of English football twice, in 2009 and 2016. This unfortunate situation started changing in 2021 when Saudi Arabia's state-owned Public Investment Fund purchased an 80% stake in the club. With this new ownership structure, sponsorship by a Saudi airline made sense.

This scenario became a reality in 2022 when Saudia became the official airline for Newcastle United's game in Saudi Arabia. The team flew to Riyadh on a Saudia aircraft for warm-weather training and to play against Al-Hilal, a game Newcastle won 5-0 on December 8, 2022. Saudia's support for Newcastle United later expanded to being the club's official airline for the 2023-24 season. Unlike other EPL teams, Newcastle United will not receive an aircraft with a dedicated livery, likely due to the team's lack of a large international fanbase. 

The club will likely become more popular in the coming years, since Middle Eastern investment has created success for other European teams, including the UAE and Qatar's majority ownership of Manchester City and France's Paris Saint-Germain, respectively. Saudia is currently focused on expanding its network and facilitating more international tourism in Saudi Arabia. Newcastle United has already been improving under Saudi ownership; the team finished fourth in the 2022-23 Premier League season and qualified for the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League for the first time in two decades. If everything continues trending upwards, Saudia may become more active by sponsoring team shirts or the club's home stadium.