Hey, that is thrilling! Etihad Airways has simply introduced that the Airbus A380 will quickly be flying to yet one more vacation spot!
Etihad A380 will fly from Abu Dhabi to Paris
Firstly of the pandemic, Etihad Airways grounded its Airbus A380 fleet, with plans to doubtless retire the plane completely. Fortuitously the airline had a change of coronary heart, and as of the summer season of 2023, the Abu Dhabi-based service introduced again the tremendous jumbo.
Etihad had introduced that its plan was to fly the A380 completely between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and London (LHR), with no agency plans to fly the jet to another vacation spot, because the airline supposed to carry again simply 4 A380s. That plan developed, and as of April 2024, the A380 additionally resumed flights to New York (JFK).
Now it has been introduced that Etihad will likely be resuming Airbus A380 flights to Paris (CDG). Particularly, as of November 1, 2024, Etihad’s A380 will resume each day flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris, with the next schedule:
EY31 Abu Dhabi to Paris departing 2:40AM arriving 7:30AM
EY32 Paris to Abu Dhabi departing 9:45AM arriving 7:25PM
The three,255-mile flight is blocked at 7hr50min westbound and 6hr40min eastbound. This flight is at the moment operated by an Airbus A350-1000, in order that represents fairly a capability improve.
For context on Etihad’s A380, the airline took supply of its first of those jets in 2014. The airline first began flying the A380 to Paris as of 2017, after which the aircraft served the route commonly till the beginning of the pandemic. Etihad is engaged on rising sustainably, so presumably this is part of these progress plans.
It’s not totally clear to me if Etihad is activating greater than the present 4 A380s which might be in service, or the place the plane for this route will come from. Based mostly on the present schedule for November 2024, Etihad has 2x each day A380 flights to London, 1x each day A380 flights to New York, and 1x each day A380 flights to Paris.
Until my math is fallacious, I don’t assume that may all be operated with simply 4 A380s, but oddly Etihad doesn’t point out something within the press launch about extra A380s returning to service. Curiously Etihad has diminished A380 service to London over time, so I’m wondering if that’s not performing in addition to anticipated, or if administration on the airline simply thinks there’s worth in serving extra locations with the aircraft, reasonably than extra frequencies in a given market.
What the Etihad A380 means for passengers
Etihad’s Airbus A380s are some fairly particular jets, they usually’ve provided fairly a halo impact for the airline. Etihad’s A380s are configured with a complete of 485 seats.
When the A380 returns to Paris, you may anticipate that Etihad can also be reintroducing The Residence on this route, which is a personal three room suite situated on the entrance of the primary class cabin. That is essentially the most unique product obtainable in business aviation.
Pre-pandemic, this expertise price tens of hundreds of {dollars}. Nonetheless, Etihad is now dealing with this in a different way than pre-pandemic. The airline is now promoting upgrades to this for firstclass passengers who’re on income fares ticketed by Etihad. It appears the improve price is ~$2,500 one-way between Abu Dhabi and London or Paris, and $4,500 one-way from Abu Dhabi to New York.
We’re additionally seeing the reintroduction of the Etihad First Class Residences on the Paris route, as there are 9 of these on the aircraft. This is likely one of the most spectacular firstclass exhausting merchandise on the market, as there’s only a single aisle within the middle of the cabin, and one suite on both sides. It is a significantly better firstclass product than you’ll discover on Etihad’s 787s. Etihad additionally has a stellar mushy product these days, making for an amazing expertise.
There are then 70 enterprise class seats, that are the Etihad Enterprise Studios, the identical product you’ll discover on the 787. It is a stable enterprise class product, however inferior to Etihad’s new A350 enterprise class, or the service’s new 787-9 enterprise class.
Lastly, there are 405 economic system class seats, together with 80 with additional legroom. This takes up the complete decrease deck, as seats are in a 3-4-3 configuration.
Backside line
As of November 1, 2024, Etihad is resuming Airbus A380 flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris. It will symbolize Etihad’s third A380 vacation spot out of Abu Dhabi, complementing present flights to London and New York. I’m delighted to see Etihad proceed to increase A380 routes, although I’m curious how that is working by way of fleet utilization. Is Etihad bringing again greater than the present 4 A380s, or…?
In early 2023, we thought the A380 would by no means fly once more for Etihad. Then when it lastly did return, we have been instructed it might simply fly to London. It’s good to see this stunning jet having now returned to New York, and shortly to Paris.
What do you make of Etihad resuming A380 flights to Paris?
