Hey, this is exciting! Etihad Airways has just announced that the Airbus A380 will soon be flying to yet another destination!
Etihad A380 will fly from Abu Dhabi to Paris
At the start of the pandemic, Etihad Airways grounded its Airbus A380 fleet, with plans to likely retire the aircraft permanently. Fortunately the airline had a change of heart, and as of the summer of 2023, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier brought back the super jumbo.
Etihad had announced that its plan was to fly the A380 exclusively between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and London (LHR), with no firm plans to fly the jet to any other destination, as the airline intended to bring back just four A380s. That plan evolved, and as of April 2024, the A380 also resumed flights to New York (JFK).
Now it has been announced that Etihad will be resuming Airbus A380 flights to Paris (CDG). Specifically, as of November 1, 2024, Etihad’s A380 will resume daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris, with the following schedule:
EY31 Abu Dhabi to Paris departing 2:40AM arriving 7:30AM
EY32 Paris to Abu Dhabi departing 9:45AM arriving 7:25PM
The 3,255-mile flight is blocked at 7hr50min westbound and 6hr40min eastbound. This flight is currently operated by an Airbus A350-1000, so that represents quite a capacity upgrade.
For context on Etihad’s A380, the airline took delivery of its first of these jets in 2014. The airline first started flying the A380 to Paris as of 2017, and then the plane served the route regularly until the start of the pandemic. Etihad is working on growing sustainably, so presumably this is a part of those growth plans.
It’s not entirely clear to me if Etihad is activating more than the current four A380s that are in service, or where the aircraft for this route will come from. Based on the current schedule for November 2024, Etihad has 2x daily A380 flights to London, 1x daily A380 flights to New York, and 1x daily A380 flights to Paris.
Unless my math is wrong, I don’t think that can all be operated with just four A380s, yet oddly Etihad doesn’t mention anything in the press release about more A380s returning to service. Interestingly Etihad has reduced A380 service to London over time, so I wonder if that’s not performing as well as expected, or if management at the airline just thinks there’s value in serving more destinations with the plane, rather than more frequencies in a given market.
What the Etihad A380 means for passengers
Etihad’s Airbus A380s are some pretty special jets, and they’ve offered quite a halo effect for the airline. Etihad’s A380s are configured with a total of 485 seats.
When the A380 returns to Paris, you can expect that Etihad is also reintroducing The Residence on this route, 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.
Pre-pandemic, this experience cost tens of thousands of dollars. However, Etihad is now handling this differently than pre-pandemic. The airline is now selling upgrades to this for first class passengers who are on revenue fares ticketed through Etihad. It seems the upgrade cost is ~$2,500 one-way between Abu Dhabi and London or Paris, and $4,500 one-way from Abu Dhabi to New York.
We’re also seeing the reintroduction of the Etihad First Class Apartments on the Paris route, as there are nine of those 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.
There are then 70 business class seats, which are the Etihad Business Studios, the same product you’ll find on the 787. This is a solid business class product, but not as good as Etihad’s new A350 business class, or the carrier’s new 787-9 business class.
Lastly, there are 405 economy class seats, including 80 with extra legroom. This takes up the entire lower deck, as seats are in a 3-4-3 configuration.
Bottom line
As of November 1, 2024, Etihad is resuming Airbus A380 flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris. This will represent Etihad’s third A380 destination out of Abu Dhabi, complementing existing flights to London and New York. I’m delighted to see Etihad continue to expand A380 routes, though I’m curious how this is working in terms of fleet utilization. Is Etihad bringing back more than the current four A380s, or…?
In early 2023, we thought the A380 would never fly again for Etihad. Then when it finally did return, we were told it would just fly to London. It’s nice to see this beautiful jet having now returned to New York, and soon to Paris.
What do you make of Etihad resuming A380 flights to Paris?
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