Etihad Airways, the UAE-based company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has recently resurrected another of its colossal Airbus A380 aircrafts from storage. The Airbus A380, the world’s largest operational passenger plane, was mothballed by the airline years ago, at the onset of the pandemic, making Etihad one of the initial operators to sideline their A380 fleet.
Currently led by Brazilian Antonoaldo Neves, a former executive at Azul and TAP, Etihad plans to return the dormant giant to service as early as July. The airline has been gradually retrieving its inactive A380s from storage to prepare for this reintroduction.
From Teruel to Tarbes: A380’s Journey Back to the Skies
On May 10th, the aircraft bearing the registration A6-APH departed from Teruel, a dry climate region in Spain, and flew to Tarbes, located in southern France. Although known as a haven for stored aircraft, Tarbes is also home to several workshops specializing in bringing aircraft back to service following maintenance work.
According to our associate site, Aeroin, the Airbus A380 will be refurbished for flight in Tarbes. It is slated to operate the route to London, one of the company’s key destinations in Europe.
The Return of Etihad’s Acclaimed First-Class «Flats»
In conjunction with the relaunch of this route, Etihad will also reintroduce its acclaimed first-class seats, famously known as the «flats». The re-emergence of these popular luxury offerings underscores the airline’s commitment to provide an unrivaled travel experience, even in the wake of the global health crisis.
