Summary

  • Etihad will operate A380 flights between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah in September and October.
  • After one roundtrip operation in 2018, it will be the first time the route has had more than a one-off service.
  • Etihad will join Emirates in using the type to the Saudi city.

Etihad’s schedule update over the weekend revealed that it will fly the A380 between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah. Flights are now bookable, although they will only operate in September and October. Still, they will be significant: Jeddah will be Etihad’s shortest double-decker service. Abu Dhabi-Jeddah will be the world’s fifth-shortest route by the type in the two months.

Etihad’s A380s to Jeddah

The double-decker will be seen on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays between September 1 and October 26. The schedule is as follows, with all times local. Etihad used the A380 to Jeddah on September 23, 2018, for Saudi Arabia’s 88th National Day.

  • Abu Dhabi to Jeddah: EY311, 14:10-16:10 (3h block time)
  • Jeddah to Abu Dhabi: EY312, 18:40-22:25 (2h 45m)
Etihad AUH-JED A380

Image: GCMap

Etihad’s A380 routes

The carrier has five double-deckers, with the other five in storage. Each aircraft has 486 seats, with a considerable 405 in economy, 70 in business, nine in first, and, most notably, two three-room The Residence suites. With the addition of Jeddah, the following four routes will see them.

The details are correct as of July 29 but may change.

  • Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow: double daily A380 (daily from October 27)
  • Abu Dhabi-New York JFK: six weekly (daily A380 from October 27); welcomed back the A380 in April 2024
  • Abu Dhabi-Jeddah: three weekly (September 1-October 26)
  • Abu Dhabi-Paris CDG: daily from November 1; last saw the type between July 2017 and March 2020

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Where previously saw them?

Etihad has used the A380 since December 2014, with the first route to – you guessed it – London Heathrow. The airline flew the type until March 2020, when it was grounded because of the pandemic. It returned to service in July 2023, naturally to Heathrow.

An Etihad Airways Airbus A380 flying overhead.

The following airports no longer see Etihad’s A380s, with the years reflecting when they they did:

  • Melbourne: 2016 and 2017
  • Mumbai: 2016 and 2017
  • Seoul Incheon: 2019 and 2020
  • Sydney: 2015 to 2020

Sydney was vital. Indeed, using Cirium to examine Etihad’s schedule between 2014 and 2020 indicates that the Australian city had more A380 flights than anywhere else except Heathrow. Nearly a fifth of services went to Sydney.

Etihad_Airways,_A6-APB,_Airbus_A380-861_(31397945138) (1) (1)

Two A380 operators at Jeddah

Unlike Etihad, Emirates has used the double-decker to the Saudi city since 2010. While it has been on its own most of the time, there have been exceptions:

  • Etihad’s one-off flight in September 2018
  • Malaysia Airlines (which no longer uses the A380) from Kuala Lumpur on one-off flights in July and August 2019 and then regular service from October 2019 until March 2020
  • Etihad in September and October 2024

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