Revealed: Crystal Palace will face Strasbourg tonight at a ground made out of recycled airplanes

Tonight, the Eagles of Crystal Palace will attempt to fly – at a stadium made out of recycled airplanes.

Oliver Glasner's men will are in France to take on Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg in the Europa Conference.

And they will take to the field at a recently-refurbished Stade de la Meinau, which features the fuselage sections of no fewer than 30 decommissioned Airbus A340s.

As part of a partnership between global stadium designers Populous and local architect Rey-de-Crecy, the retired planes were identified as an opportunity to create a unique environment at the municipality-owned venue.

A fascinating video shows the sections being cut out of each aircraft, which came out of action during the Covid pandemic.

The sections were then crafted into 196 panels, which now cover the entire facade of the south side of the stadium, providing a sun shading system and an iconic look.

Work is ongoing at the venue, and will be completed in August – raising the capacity from 26,000 to 32,000.

Along with its fuselage facade, the South Stand also features two party decks, open spaces were fans can enjoy themselves while watching the game.

Francois Clement, president of Populous France, said: 'This project elevates the concept of sustainable stadium design and informs wider conversation on ways that upcycling and material reuse can enhance the sustainability of large-scale projects.

'The idea for the facade sunshade was originally conceived during the Covid-19 pandemic, when planes were almost entirely grounded and airlines resized their fleet and flight operations. Our design concept sought to make use of decommissioned aircraft, using upcycled architecture to deliver the innovative concept at the heart of an environmentally sustainable design for the revamped stadium.'