Another Etihad Airways Airbus A380 Returns To Service

Etihad Airways has reactivated another Airbus A380 aircraft, ferrying the double-decker from its long-term storage location in Spain to its home in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Currently, the airline operates four Airbus A380s to two international cities, London, the United Kingdom, and New York, United States.

Fifth Airbus A380 reactivated

According to Flightradar24, the Etihad Airways Airbus A380, registered as A6-APF, departed from its long-term storage location at Teruel Airport (TEV) at 9:09 local time (UTC +2) on June 13. Following a more than six-hour journey to the Middle East, the double-decker landed at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) at 17:20 local time (UTC +4). Presumably, the aircraft will undergo heavy maintenance before it returns to service.

Photo: Etihad

Ch-aviation data showed that Etihad Airways currently operates four Airbus A380 aircraft: A6-APG, A6-APH, A6-API, and A6-APJ. The first double-decker to return to service was A6-APG, which began flying the AUH to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) route on July 25, 2023. While initially, Etihad Airways deployed its reactivated A380s to exclusively operate the AUH–LHR route, on April 22, the airline’s double-decker also returned to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

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Expanding Airbus A380 horizons

In addition to LHR and JFK, Etihad Airways announced that starting November 1, its Airbus A380s will also fly to Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG). The announcement on April 24 quoted Antonoaldo Neves, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Etihad Airways, as saying:

“As a city celebrated for its style and ambiance, Paris is the perfect destination for our iconic A380 aircraft. This enhancement reflects our commitment to delivering award-winning comfort and service across all cabin classes.”

Introducing the Airbus A380 on the route enables Etihad Airways to enrich its offerings for both leisure and business travel, Neves added, noting that the route underscored the airline’s commitment to facilitating business connections and travel to Abu Dhabi and beyond the city.

Photo: Etihad Airways

The CEO highlighted that its state-of-the-art cabins and amenities ensure that business travelers can work, relax, and still arrive refreshed at their destination. Neves noted that by improving the passenger experience with greater connectivity and luxury, Etihad Airways has made business trips more accessible and enjoyable.

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Reentering service

However, the airline did not specify when its fifth Airbus A380 would reenter service or whether it would enable Etihad Airways to launch another route with the same type. So far, data from the aviation analytics company Cirium indicated that the UAE-based carrier has planned to increase weekly frequencies to CDG, LHR, and JFK.

While in June, it has scheduled 20 weekly frequencies with the double-decker, by November, weekly flights should grow to 28. By February 2025, Etihad Airways should operate 33 weekly flights with the type, which is then set to grow further to 35 weekly frequencies by April 2025, which could possibly indicate that the airline could return more Airbus A380s to service.

Photo: Etihad Airways

In an interview in early June, Neves stated that the airline planned to operate the type at least until 2032, without indicating the number of Airbus A380 airframes that have a long-term future with Etihad Airways. Nevertheless, the CEO added that the airline had a lot of flexibility since 65% of its fleet was owned by the carrier, meaning it could park any of the owned aircraft without incurring financing-related costs, including leasing expenses.

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