Humanising aviation with style

Most people experience aviation through small moments: a smooth arrival, a reassuring interaction, a perfectly timed departure, and so forth. In an environment so often associated with stress, waiting, and constant movement, these instances affect how the entire journey is experienced.

Behind every seamless journey is an enormous system operating with precision. But no matter how advanced aviation becomes, people still remember how they were treated, how they were welcomed, and how another human being made them feel in transit.

For Velora, formerly known as Etihad Airport Services (EAS), this became an essential part of the transformation Skyne led.

With more than 42 years of operational excellence across ground handling, cargo, and secure logistics, Etihad Airport Services had long been one of the invisible forces enabling movement through Abu Dhabi’s airports.

But as the organisation evolved beyond its legacy role, Skyne transformed EAS into Velora: a future-facing aviation services brand designed to unify its divisions, elevate its market position, and support expansion across the region and beyond. For a transformation like that to feel authentic, it had to speak to people directly.

The uniforms became the human face of the Velora transformation.

Unlike logos or campaigns, uniforms interact with people within real-life environments. That is especially true in aviation, where the person assisting at the gate, handling luggage, or guiding passengers through the airport often becomes the emotional face of the journey itself.

Skyne therefore approached the Velora uniforms as the emotional infrastructure of the brand. We designed approximately ten different uniform systems across ‘Above’ and ‘Below the Wing’ divisions, carefully balancing operational precision and human reassurance.

For Below the Wing divisions, including Ramp, Cargo, and Secure Logistics, we unified the uniforms wherever possible to create consistency across operational teams while maintaining clear distinctions in role and rank. Heat-protection headwear, footwear recommendations, durable materials, and practical movement considerations became essential parts of the design process.

For Above the Wing teams, style became part of the customer experience itself.

To bring greater sophistication and emotional intelligence into the customer-facing uniforms, Skyne deployed fashion designer Sunny Docherty to lead the development of the Above the Wing collection. With a background at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, her involvement introduced a deeper level of tailoring and material sensitivity into the rebrand.

As Sunny explains:

“The intention was to create a uniform collection for a new aviation and travel services brand, inspired by the sophistication and professionalism associated with a seamless travel experience, while introducing a softer, more contemporary design language. A key consideration throughout the design process was balancing tradition with modernity.”

That philosophy translated beautifully. Contemporary tailoring was balanced with subtle cultural references inspired by the headscarf through elegant fastening details and softer construction lines. The rigidity often associated with aviation uniforms was replaced with more fluid silhouettes, relaxed fastening systems, and curved seam lines.

She continues:

“A dark blue palette was chosen to evoke sophistication and timelessness across the collection, while the scarves and accessories add vibrant colour accents, by way of contrast and individuality.”

Every detail, from the fabric choices to the maternity wear and Abaya adaptations, was carefully considered to support both the realities of the role and the human nature of the brand.

Fashion design brought in emotional intelligence

Aviation uniforms are often designed purely through the lens of utility. But Skyne understood that clothing communicates long before someone speaks. Movement, texture and detailing all influence how people emotionally perceive a brand.

By integrating high-level fashion design into the Velora transformation, the uniforms became more than operational attire. They became a subtle expression of confident hospitality.

The wider Velora rebrand repositioned the organisation from a traditional operational supplier into a strategic aviation partner rooted in precision, reliability, innovation, and Middle Eastern hospitality. The uniforms became one of the clearest ways to bring that positioning into everyday human interaction.

As Velora CEO Jubran AlBreiki reflected:

“The Skyne team worked alongside us, stakeholders, and our customers, knowing exactly what to ask to find out who we really are as a company and our vision for the future.”

Even in the future of aviation, people will still remember the human moments most.

Today, airports are becoming increasingly automated, systemised, and technologically advanced. But the emotional side of travel still belongs to people.

That is what the Velora uniforms quietly represent.

Not simply a workforce, but a human layer inside an enormous global system. A consistent presence carrying the brand through thousands of interactions every single day.

The future of Velora will begin with the people wearing the brand with a reliable presence.