As demand becomes more robust and looking towards a recovery and growth for 2024 globally, Etihad Airways continues to bring its A380s out of storage and introduces or reintroduces them to more destinations.
Just as at the beginning of the month it began to operate a third daily flight with these aircraft to London-Heathrow, the national company of Abu Dhabi announced today that next year it will deploy them to a new destination, JFK airport in New York.
The introduction of the A380 on the route between Abu Dhabi and New York is scheduled from April 22, 2024. The second daily flight will continue to be operated with Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
The A380s have the advantage of having a much more developed premium product, key in markets like New York.
At Etihad, the world’s largest commercial aircraft has 9 First suites (with access to showers), 70 private bed-seats in Business (with a lounge and bar on the upper floor), 68 seats in Premium Economy and 337 in Economy. In addition, they have an even more exclusive class, “The Residence”, the only one of its kind in the industry with three environments (living room, bedroom, and private bathroom) and its own cabin crew. This latter cannot be purchased individually but is offered as an upgrade to those who buy a First ticket (the price of the upgrade starts at around USD 3,000).
«We are thrilled to start flying our extraordinary A380 across the Atlantic, and we know our customers love the onboard experience,» said Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways.
«Whether flying in Economy, Business, First, or the three-room suite in the sky, The Residence, they will enjoy the elevated levels of service from our crew, and ensure they arrive in the city that never sleeps rested and relaxed. We know this is important for all our passengers, and not least for our corporate clients, and the punctuality and comfort offered by the A380 means they can arrive fresh and ready for their business appointments,» he added.
The executive also detailed that the addition of more capacity on their flights to New York, three weeks after they start their flights to Boston, reinforces the expansion plans they have for the American market.
Etihad Airways has 10 A380s in its fleet, of which 4 are in service.
The A380 in New York
Etihad Airways will be the third airline to operate regularly with A380 aircraft at JFK airport in New York.
Currently, Emirates operates two daily flights from Dubai with that model, while Korean Air operates a daily flight from Seoul.
