Here’s something that I didn’t necessarily see coming. Etihad Airways has announced that it will start flying its Airbus A380s to a new destination for the first time. Perhaps even more interesting is which route is losing the A380…
In this post:
Etihad A380 will fly from Abu Dhabi to Toronto
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 airline 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 resumed flights to New York (JFK), then as of November 2024, the A380 returned to Paris (CDG), and then as of February 2025, the A380 flew to Singapore (SIN) for the first time. There’s now an additional update.
As of June 24, 2025, Etihad will start flying the Airbus A380 between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Toronto (YYZ). This will apply to the carrier’s once daily flight, which operates with the following schedule:
EY21 Abu Dhabi to Toronto departing 2:40AM arriving 9:00AM
EY22 Toronto to Abu Dhabi departing 1:40PM arriving 11:00AM (+1 day)
The 6,924-mile flight is blocked at 14hr20min westbound and 13hr20min eastbound. This Toronto flight is currently operated by an Airbus A350-1000, so this represents quite the capacity increase.
Etihad is puling the A380 from New York
Etihad has a fleet of just six Airbus A380s, so the logical question is where the airline is getting the A380 from that makes this service possible. Well, it would appear that the airline is pulling the A380 from the New York route as of the same date that the A380 Toronto service launches.
So the two routes are just seeing a direct plane swap — the New York frequency gets the A350-1000 that’s flying to Toronto, while the Toronto frequency gets the A380 that’s flying to New York.
On the surface, that decision might be surprising, though I imagine there are a few considerations here:
- The bilateral agreement between the UAE and Canada limits the total number of flights that can be operated to Canada, so clearly this is Etihad’s only option for increasing capacity to Toronto
- While Toronto has once daily Etihad flights, New York has twice daily flights, so Etihad still has more overall capacity to New York
- I suspect this decision isn’t specifically about premium demand, but rather about overall capacity
- Arguably Etihad is better able to compete in Toronto than in New York; Etihad and Emirates will both fly A380s once daily between Toronto and the UAE, while Emirates has three daily A380 flights to New York (plus a 777 flight to Newark)
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 flies to Toronto, you can expect that Etihad will introduce 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 back then. The airline is now selling upgrades to this for first class passengers who are ticketed through Etihad. The cost to upgrade to The Residence is typically a few thousand dollars.
We’re also seeing the introduction of the Etihad First Class Apartments on the Toronto 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 June 24, 2025, Etihad will start flying the Airbus A380 between Abu Dhabi and Toronto. Given Etihad’s small A380 fleet, this comes at the expense of the super jumbo flying to New York.
Some might be surprised to see Etihad pull the A380 from New York and send it to Toronto, but it reflects the fact that the bilateral agreement between the UAE and Canada limits flights, while those same restrictions don’t apply in New York.
What do you make of Etihad launching A380 flights to Toronto?
They should bring in the A380 to my airport (Atlanta) on July 2 when they start the inaugural flight. It is a good way to mark the special occasion.
This is likely also the result of fares from Canada being higher because of the stranglehold that Air Canada has on the international market.
All of these Middle East flights (including to IST) are about connecting to S. and SE Asia and beyond.
Agree re: AC monopoly driving fares higher, but if driven by connections, why move to the A380 rather than using the Y-heavy 777s (which would only lose ~30 Y seats/trip) that EY has? The traffic from South and Southeast Asia is price-sensitive VFR immigrant families less likely to pay for F and J, rather than business travelers, which implies lower F/J yields
No surprise as it i probably due to the expected downturn in people wanting to visit the USA. C'est Tiguidou. Allez les Canadiens!
Interesting...I flew AUH-YYZ-MIA in early December and it was the only route offered in premium for 70k Advantage miles. The A380 through JFK was never offered in premium only 40k for economy.
Have to wonder if a U.S. -> Canada move is related to a fall in U.S. demand with the Trump administration back in office; in 2017, the ME3 cut U.S. flights saying that the Muslim ban had hurt outward demand (see USA TODAY "Emirates cuts U.S. flights; cites 'weakened' demand after Trump travel policies"), and I wouldn't be surprised to see the same happen now given the chaos of the 2nd Trump administration far outstripping the first
I had a confirmed flight on A380 First in November. The website is giving me option to rebook but not refund. What are my options guys? I do not want to be on the 787 first class as I paid extra to be on A380.
There's not a refund option at the bottom of the page with alternative flight options? I tried calling to see if they will reroute us YYZ to AUH—that was a hard no. They said I could get a refund to then rebook myself, but it could take up to 45 days to get the miles and cash back.
I just called and rerouted YYZ-AUH on the same day with no issues. July booking
If the schedule didn't change, I don't think you are entitled to a refund. You paid for a whatever-class fare on a certain flight, and that's still what they're providing. Equipment swaps, as far as I know, aren't a trigger for mandatory refunds. Sorry--I sympathize.
Minor correction: the westbound flight is not +1 day.
Should send it to ATL instead.
Am I wrong to suspect this will make award availability more plentiful? I suspect there will be less paid F demand out of YYZ than JFK.
Aeroplan is devaluing on March 25. They promised more Etihad space in return, since its all blocked now.
There will be plenty of paid F demand from YYZ. There is lots of Indian/Pak money here.
Yup. Etihad just changed our July JFK-AUH seats in the A380 apartments to a 787...
This is awesome! Clearly the best First class hard product in the world.
No, it’s not. This cabin is now 10-years old.
New Singapore A380 First Suites are better. New EK 777-300ER First Suites are better. Air France La Premiere is better. Heck, even Emirates A380 is on-par if not better with an onboard bar.
Toronto is basically India these days, so I suppose this is the visit traffic they are after