At the start of the pandemic, Etihad Airways grounded its fleet of Airbus A380s. At the time, the plan was for the jets to be retired permanently. Fortunately executives at the airline had a change of heart, and in 2023, we saw the Abu Dhabi-based carrier’s A380s return to the skies.
The fleet is smaller than in the past — Etihad has only brought back four of the 10 jets it originally flew — but hey, that’s still better than nothing. I’ve certainly been curious for how long Etihad plans to keep flying these jets, and we now have an answer.
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Etihad plans to fly A380s until at least 2032
In an interview with aeroTELEGRAPH, Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves made some comments about the future of the Airbus A380 at the airline. According to Neves, Etihad plans to fly the A380s for as long as the airline can, and at least until 2032.
Neves of course acknowledges that it depends on market conditions, and that could change. After all, if there’s some event that changes demand in the long run, we could see planes start to be retired prematurely.
Etihad’s active A380s were delivered in 2016 and 2017, meaning they’re an average of just under eight years old. Etihad’s six other A380s (some of which may still be reactivated) started flying between 2014 and 2016. Etihad currently flies its A380s from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to London (LHR) and New York (JFK), and as of later this year, the plane will also start flying to Paris (CDG).
Etihad’s A380s are some pretty special jets, and they’ve offered quite a halo effect for the airline. They’re configured with 485 seats. Most notably, this includes The Residence, which is a private three room suite located at the front of the first class cabin. This is the most exclusive product available in commercial aviation.
Then there’s the First Class Apartments, of which there are nine on the plane. This is one of the most impressive first class hard products out there, as there’s just a single aisle in the center of the cabin, and one suite on each side. This is a much better first class product than you’ll find on Etihad’s 787s. Etihad also has a stellar soft product nowadays, making for a great experience.
Etihad is matching Emirates’ A380 retirement plans
Interestingly, Etihad isn’t the only airline considering a 2032 timeline for retiring its A380s. Just up the road in Dubai, Emirates management has also indicated that the airline plans to retire A380s starting around 2032.
Admittedly the scale of A380 operations at Emirates and Etihad is just a bit different, as Emirates has nearly 120 of the whale jets. In the case of Emirates, the A380 is a much more integral part of the carrier’s business model, as the A380 has allowed Emirates to scale its operation in a way that other airlines wouldn’t dare try.
It’s going to be fascinating to see what Emirates’ network looks like when the airline retires its A380s. Emirates has Boeing 777Xs, Airbus A350s, and Boeing 787s on order, which are supposed to eventually replace A380s. However, they certainly can’t compete with the capacity and comfort offered by the world’s largest jet.
Bottom line
During the pandemic, Etihad grounded its Airbus A380 fleet, and it looked like the planes wouldn’t make a comeback. Fortunately management had a change of heart, and we saw some A380s brought back as of 2023.
We hadn’t heard much until now about the carrier’s retirement plans for these jets. The latest is that Etihad’s management plans to keep A380s around until 2032 or so, unless something drastic changes. If the A380 does have a place at the airline for so many more years, I hope Etihad brings back more of them, as they’re a joy to fly.
What do you make of Etihad’s A380 retirement plans?
Made my family fly ANA A380 HNL to NRT in 2019, shortly after it was released. HND is so much more convenient, but being in Hawaii it's probably my only chance i'd ever fly an A380. Looking for a way to fly an A350 now. Wish Hawaiian went with A350 instead of dreamliner.
"When Will Etihad Airways Retire Airbus A380s?"
Hopefully, never. I love that plane.
agree 100%, A380 is a one of a kind plane, quiet, smooth nice, comfortable!
Only flew EK, LH, EY, SQ so far, but all were an AMAZING flying experience.
Surprised it hasn’t returned to Sydney. Saying that I know next to nothing about airline logistics. More out of hope. Did Abu Dhabi to Sydney apartments in 2019 and it’s still my favorite flight.
That'd require a minimum of two aircraft to maintain daily service, even if rotated with the European arrivals.
Doable of course, but they'd have to bring back two more, to add it while maintaining the current network schedule.
That makes sense thanks.
still my fav airplane, smooth and quiet! A350 comes close but still not as smooth as 380 for landing and on air.
I'm still trying to get to fly on any A380 - on my list of aircraft flown its absence really stands out like a sore thumb!
One thing you might potentially note about the A380 is that the airframe is more "settled" in-flight than the B777. In short, it's a smoother ride. Best of luck.
It’s def tougher to achieve if you live in the USA. Chicago has only ever had one a380 visitor. British airways.
Sydney has a ton of a380s on the tarmac at any time. Let alone Dubai or even London.
"Chicago has only ever had one a380 visitor. British airways."
Technically not quite true, as Emirates did fly a scheduled flight there in July 2016, but it wasn't a continuous thing.
I didn’t know that.
I flew the a380 in biz once to lhr from Ord. Quite surreal staring at your seat mate from close quarters on takeoff.
Loved the ba 747 upper deck on return though. Bulkhead row was so spacious and private