Here’s an exciting update for those of us who love the Airbus A380…
In this post:
Etihad continuing to reactivate more Airbus A380s
In early 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Etihad grounded its 10 Airbus A380s, and made it clear that the plan was to retire them permanently, as part of its downsizing effort.
However, times have changed at the airline, as the carrier has returned to profitability, and is once again growing pretty aggressively. In mid-2023, the airline reactivated four Airbus A380s, which many of us were delighted to see.
Initially the plan was for the other six A380s to be retired, but over time, that strategy has changed. We’ve seen the airline bring back these aircraft progressively, and at this point, Etihad has seven A380s in its fleet.
There’s now a final update to this — Etihad plans to bring back a further two A380s. Specifically, the plane with the registration code A6-EPC will return in June 2026, and the plane with the registration code A6-APB will return in January 2027. Meanwhile the final A380, A6-APE, will be parted out.
This means that by early 2027, Etihad will have a fleet of nine A380s in operation. For those curious about how long the planes will be sticking around, CEO Antonoaldo Neves has stated that he wants to keep them around as long as practical, at least through 2032.
Etihad’s A380s fly from the carrier’s hub in Abu Dhabi (AUH), and currently serve London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Singapore (SIN), and Toronto (YYZ). With two more joining the fleet, it’ll be interesting to see where they fly next, especially since Etihad decided to pull the A380 from New York (JFK), suggesting performance there wasn’t great.
Below are a couple of cute videos that Etihad released back in 2023, when the A380s started to be reactivated.
The basics of Etihad’s Airbus A380s
Etihad’s Airbus A380s are some pretty special jets. They’re configured with a total of 485 seats, spread across three(ish) cabins.
The pinnacle of the Airbus A380 is The Residence, Etihad’s three-room suite at the front of first class, with a bedroom, living room, and bathroom. Nowadays this is simply an upgrade option for those who are booked in first class, and pricing is much more reasonable than it was pre-pandemic.
The A380 also has nine incredible First Class Apartments. 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.
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 A350 business class.
While there’s not a real onboard bar, there is a cute lounge area between first and business class, known as The Lobby, which is a nice place to hang out.
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
Etihad Airways is continuing to expand its Airbus A380 fleet. In mid-2023, the airline brought back four of these. We’ve seen them brought back one-by-one, and the airline has now confirmed that nine A380s will be reactivated, while the last A380 will be parted out. So expect one more A380 in mid-2026 and one more in early 2027. I’m curious what routes get these planes.
What do you make of Etihad expanding Airbus A380 capacity?
Forget the Residence if travelling as a couple. All those I have spoken to who have tried the suits agree that 3&4 A, or, 3&4 K, are the best.
Why are they only being brought back in 2026 and then 2027?
I hope the Etihad A380 flies to JFK again, it would be sorry if it didn't fly to the USA. Flying medium haul to CDG, LHR and Singapore is not long enough to experience such an airplane.
Which is precisely why it makes less sense to fly it here. NYC passengers didn't pay substantially higher fares than London/Paris, yet is almost twice the distance and fuel burn.
So if you're Etihad, and you're getting similar fares by flying the aircraft 7hrs, as you're getting by flying it 13hrs; which one are you going to prefer? Not a hard choice.
Is it worth it to start building them again? there seems to be a nice size Demand.
Definitely not. They're starting their old ones up because it's all they can get their hands on. What the carriers really want is 777x, A350-1000, A321XLR etc. Supply is so backlogged, carriers are flying anything they can.
btw I love your handle. When Emirates began A380 service to YYZ years ago, a journo did a piece on the experience. YYZ in those days had no multiple-jetbridge gates, so all pax boarded through one single door,...
Definitely not. They're starting their old ones up because it's all they can get their hands on. What the carriers really want is 777x, A350-1000, A321XLR etc. Supply is so backlogged, carriers are flying anything they can.
btw I love your handle. When Emirates began A380 service to YYZ years ago, a journo did a piece on the experience. YYZ in those days had no multiple-jetbridge gates, so all pax boarded through one single door, regardless of aircraft type. The reporter said that upon disembarking in YYZ it was 75 minutes from the moment the first pax left the plane, to when she did.
I may try it someday in F but Y? Not curious.
Clearly, Etihad has figured out the economics of the A380. As such, after these ships are back in service, what would be incredibly interesting is if Etihad buys retired or underused A380s and expands its A380 service. You heard it here first.
I'll bet strongly against that. they're not flying them because they prefer them to other types; they're flying A380 because all new Airbuses are backordered, Boeing's in meltdown, demand is roaring and they've got the wretched things sitting in the desert. It was the best of all the bad options. If they could replace each one with a 777x tomorrow, they'd scrap them faster than you can say "beached".
Nice to see 2 daily A380s with top-grade F flying daily from my hometown YYZ. I've been positioning to ORD/NYC for decades; nice to see my American friends positioning to my hometown for a change. Ben hinted recently he'll be reviewing The Residence soon. I'll take a bet on the route...
Spoke too soon. Doesn't make Ben's Etihad fiasco my fault, tho'.
I'd love to see them back in SYD but I wonder if the staggered return could see an extra mid haul destination/frequency in northern summer 2026 followed perhaps by another in early 2027. An upguage of the 4th LHR service to the A380 to offer a consistent product? Double daily to CDG? Or perhaps another market - looking at A380 capable airports where they currently fly their higher capacity A350s and 777s could potentially lend...
I'd love to see them back in SYD but I wonder if the staggered return could see an extra mid haul destination/frequency in northern summer 2026 followed perhaps by another in early 2027. An upguage of the 4th LHR service to the A380 to offer a consistent product? Double daily to CDG? Or perhaps another market - looking at A380 capable airports where they currently fly their higher capacity A350s and 777s could potentially lend us to a MAN, NRT, AMS, BKK or perhaps more flights to India. Time will tell, very good news nonetheless.
I see the extra two planes being used to cities like New York and Sydney
Long distance , high traffic and good connecting traffic for Etihad airways
Small correction, Ben: A6-APE is already flying. It is A6-APA that will be scrapped. EY’s A380 fleet will be even better than QR’s, since 9/10 will be in the air compared to 8/10 at QR.
BA remains the only airline not to have retired even a single A380, not counting NH’s small fleet of three A380s.
Asiana also brought all of their six A380s back - maybe this too was a small fleet to be not counted? Otherwise those three airlines seem to be the only ones.
Sorry, I wasn’t aware that Asiana brought all of them back; I thought one was always parked. Having flown an OZ A380 myself on the hop to NRT a couple of months back, I should’ve known better!
I suggest to stay back and enjoy the city because once the times goes never comes back so set back and relax and have night travel and have a safe journey and choose the correct air craft
I’d say back to JFK. YYZ is peculiar in that the UAE is highly restricted in total flights, so it makes sense to fly your largest craft there.
Spot on!