Emirates’ inflight entertainment (IFE) guide will feature a special edition cover with artwork created by Abdulla Lutfi, an Emirati artist represented by Mawaheb from Beautiful People.

Meaning “talent” in Arabic, Mawaheb is a Dubai-based art studio for adults with special needs, also known as “the determined ones” following a directive by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.

Lutfi worked closely with the IFE team to create the magazine cover for Emirates and it features a lively depiction of a flight with customers tuned into different channels on ice, the airline’s inflight entertainment system.

“In bringing this cover to life, we held a short briefing meeting where I drew a very rough sketch on my whiteboard to explain what we envisaged. It seems genius to me how he was able to transform such a sparse brief so brilliantly. Abdulla was able to imagine what we wanted and add so much more. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Abdulla and we’re really happy with the final result!” said Patrick Brannelly, Emirates’ division vice president — customer experience.

Lutfi trained and developed his artistic style over the past eight years.

Emirates’ ice magazine, published monthly by John Brown Media, is distributed on board all flights and serves as a guide for customers in exploring the over 4,500 channels of entertainment on offer.