Summary
- Etihad Airways plans to operate A380s for 8 more years after reintegrating them into the fleet post-COVID.
- The airline aims to increase its network by 40 destinations and potentially expand its fleet to 150-160 planes.
- Etihad opts not to commit to Boeing 777X planes, adjusting its previous orders in favor of more flexible options.
Etihad Airways plans to operate its Airbus A380s for at least another eight years. It recently reintegrated the type into its fleet after the COVID-19 pandemic but still has more than half of its fleet stored.
Maximizing the life of the A380
The Airbus A380 is a significant aircraft for several reasons. Following the success of the Boeing 747 as an aircraft with a second level and four jets, Airbus developed the A380 with two full levels. It typically seats about 500 passengers but is capable of fitting more than 800 in an all-economy configuration.
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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the A380s were some of the first types to be retired by airlines worldwide. At the time, many did not think keeping the type in their fleets would be feasible. Etihad Airways held onto theirs, and now, plan to keep them in operation until at least 2032.
Photo: Etihad Airways
Earlier this week, AeroTelegraph shared that in an interview with Etihad Airways’ CEO Antonoaldo Neves, they were told the aircraft had at least another eight years in the fleet. Etihad has ten A380s in its fleet, but only four are in service at the moment. The A380s are being used for flights to Heathrow Airport in London and John F. Kennedy Airport, which serves New York City.
During the interview, Neves also discussed the airline’s future goals. By 2029, the airline aims to add another 40 destinations to its network. At some point, the airline also hopes its fleet will reach 150-160 planes.
About the fleet and the network
Neves confirmed that Etihad has no firm commitments for Boeing 777X aircraft, even though the airline had previously placed orders for 25 of the new planes. Etihad restructured its contracts with Boeing and now has options to buy the 777Xs or 787s. Speaking about the airline’s five-year plan, Neves said the 777X is not factored in.
Photo: Tom Buysse | Shutterstock
As mentioned above, Etihad has ten A380s, four of which are flying and another six parked. The youngest of the planes is 7.41 years old, while the oldest is 9.96 years. Below is the full fleet information:
|
Registration |
Delivery date |
First flight |
Age |
|---|---|---|---|
|
A6-APA |
12/16/2014 |
06/16/2014 |
9.96 |
|
A6-APB |
04/25/2015 |
09/17/2014 |
9.71 |
|
A6-APC |
05/30/2015 |
11/27/2014 |
9.52 |
|
A6-APD |
08/08/2015 |
01/28/2015 |
9.35 |
|
A6-APE |
10/20/2015 |
05/20/2015 |
9.04 |
|
A6-APF |
03/05/2016 |
10/12/2015 |
8.64 |
|
A6-APG |
04/13/2016 |
11/10/2015 |
8.56 |
|
A6-APH |
05/13/2016 |
12/22/2015 |
8.45 |
|
A6-API |
03/25/2017 |
10/25/2016 |
7.6 |
|
A6-APJ |
05/25/2017 |
01/04/2017 |
7.41 |
According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, Etihad has 176 roundtrip flights scheduled with its A380s in July. The planes are only deployed to London and New York, but twice daily to London. Its total seat offering for all the flights on the A380s is 85,536, with more than 60,000 seats available to London.
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The airline recently announced that Paris would become the third destination for the A380s. In November, Etihad will deploy its A380s to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport daily. Data shows that Etihad has 240 flights scheduled in November, totaling more than 116,000 seats.