Etihad Airways’ Chief Revenue Officer Arik De has told attendees at the Routes World 2024 event in Bahrain that the carrier plans to launch an entirely new Airbus A380 route in the near future.
Additionally, Arik De confirmed that an extra Airbus A380 would be taken out of storage to rejoin the Etihad fleet. It is understood that this would be the seventh Etihad A380 to return to service.
According to Aerospace Global News, the Etihad executive revealed that a fifth A380 route would be announced soon, and it would be one that the United Arab Emirates flag carrier has never flown to before with the superjumbo.
Currently Etihad operates the A380 on routes to London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York from Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport (AUH).
A new A380 route to Paris will begin in November 2024, and from February 1, 2025, Singapore will also be served by the iconic Etihad superjumbo.
In September 2024, the carrier also introduced the A380 on some of its routes to India from Abu Dhabi, but this is only for a special four-month period.
An Etihad A380 left Teruel Airport (TEV) in Spain on September 13, 2024, where it had been stored since March 2020.
The A380 is experiencing a resurgence in popularity with passengers and airlines as many of the superjumbo operators decide to return the largest commercial aircraft to service.
