Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) resumed commercial A380-800 flight operations on July 25, 2023, using the type on the Abu Dhabi International-London Heathrow route.
A6-APG (msn 198) was the first unit to re-enter commercial service, followed by A6-API (msn 233) on July 27. Two more A380s, A6-APH (msn 199) and A6-APJ (msn 237), are currently undergoing maintenance at Abu Dhabi airport ahead of service entry. The airline operated ten A380s before the COVID-19 pandemic but does not plan to reactivate the other six for now. They remain parked at Teruel (three) and Lourdes/Tarbes (three) airports, the ch-aviation fleets module shows.
"The aircraft adds much-needed capacity connecting Abu Dhabi with London Heathrow and allows us to build our network and increase frequencies across the network. With a surge in demand for travel over the summer, the return of our much-loved A380 comes at the perfect time," Chief Executive Antonoaldo Neves said.
Starting on August 1, Etihad Airways is deploying the A380s on two of its four daily rotations to Heathrow. The other two flights are operated with B787-9s/B787-10s.
