During a panel at the Routes World 2024 event held this week in Bahrain, Etihad Airways’ Chief Revenue & Commercial Officer, Arik De, confirmed that the airline plans to bring more Airbus A380 aircraft back into commercial service, as it was reported by Airways Magazine on a Twitter post.
This move continues the gradual reintroduction of the A380 fleet, which started in July 2023 when the aircraft began operating flights between Abu Dhabi and London-Heathrow. The last time these planes were in operation was in March 2020, just as the pandemic began, on a flight between Sydney and Abu Dhabi.
Currently, five A380 jets are deployed regularly on routes to Mumbai (three weekly), New York/JFK (six times a week), and London/LHR (14 weekly flights). Starting in November, Paris/CDG will be added, and Singapore will join the network in February. Additionally, during the Routes World event, Etihad announced the launch of another new destination for the A380, which had never previously been served by this aircraft.
🔴 #ROUTESWORLD | Etihad has confirmed the reintroduction of seven Airbus A380s to its fleet. #Airways #News pic.twitter.com/HT99JGXEBw
— Airways Magazine (@airwaysmagazine) October 7, 2024
Before the pandemic, Etihad also operated A380 flights to Sydney and Seoul.
Last week, Etihad Airways’ CEO, Antonoaldo Neves, revealed that the airline plans to keep its A380s operational until at least 2032.
Related: A380 to stay: Etihad Airways will keep them in service until at least 2032
On the lower deck, Etihad’s A380s feature 68 Economy Plus seats offering extra legroom and 337 Economy Smart seats with fixed headrests. On the upper deck, there are 70 Business Studios, along with «The Lobby,» a lounge with bar services for First and Business class passengers. There are also nine First class seats and a three-room suite, «The Residence,» designed to accommodate two passengers.
According to information obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium Fleets, the following Etihad A380s are still grounded:
- A6-APE (msn 191), delivered in October 2015. Stored in Teruel between June 2021 and September 2023. Scheduled to return to service in January 2025. It has accumulated 2,496 cycles and 23,108 flight hours.
- A6-APD (msn 180), delivered in August 2015, stored since March 2020 at Teruel Airport. It has accumulated 2,569 cycles and 24,166 flight hours.
- A6-APB (msn 170), delivered in April 2015, stored since March 2020 at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport. It has accumulated 2,945 cycles and 25,523 flight hours.
- A6-APA (msn 166), delivered in December 2014, stored at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport since 2020. It has accumulated 2,982 cycles and 26,663 flight hours.
- A6-APC (msn 176), delivered in May 2015, stored at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport since 2020. It has accumulated 2,728 cycles and 25,093 flight hours.
