Etihad Airways makes avgeek hearts beat faster: The airline from Abu Dhabi has confirmed that it will put the Airbus A380 back into service. The airline plans to retrieve four of its superjumbos from storage in the summer of 2023. Similar to Lufthansa, it is also Etihad’s increased demand for air travel that is making the A380 have another comeback. The airline’s passengers should also be happy about that as the four-engine aircraft enjoys an excellent reputation.
Etihad has not defined “summer 2023” more precisely. Accordingly, it is unknown whether this refers to the summer of the airline industry from April or the “classic” summer. With London Heathrow, the first destination of the returnees is already known. Other than that, the airline has not announced any further details. The super jumbo is also currently not listed in the airline’s flight schedule and is therefore not yet bookable (even if Etihad is already advertising it). Rumours that Etihad might be retrieving part of its A380 fleet began to surface in late summer this year.
As a result, the coveted first-class suites and the exclusive luxury product The Residence will return to Etihad’s portfolio in the coming year. With the temporary retirement of the A380 fleet, the only aircraft with a first class product at Etihad was also taken out of service. However, since the demand for premium tickets has also increased significantly worldwide, this could also be worthwhile from that point of view. Etihad’s Airbus A380 has 9 first class suites, 70 business class seats and 405 economy class seats in addition to The Residence.
Source: Etihad