In mid-March, Etihad resumed operation of its first Airbus A380 after its entire Superjumbo fleet was put into long-term storage. At the very end of 2022, the airline made an exciting announcement that it would return at least part of its A380 fleet to commercial passenger traffic.
The carrier is currently planning to resume operation of four aircraft. Preparations are underway this week for the return of a second Etihad A380 to its “home base” in Abu Dhabi.
After the necessary initial preparations at Teruel Airport in Spain, the largest technical airport in Europe, the aircraft with registration number A6-APH flew to Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport in France. The plane took off from Teruel on May 9 at 15:15 and landed in Tarbes an hour and a half later, at 16:45 local time. Since the liner has been on the ground in Teruel since June 23, 2021, this was its first flight in almost two years.
The A380 will remain at the LDE for additional maintenance ahead of a long flight to Abu Dhabi. Tak, who flew to Tarbes on the same route on January 30, spent about five weeks there before flying to the UAE. It is logical to assume that the A6-APH will also spend the rest of May and part of June in France.
The second re-opened Superjumbo is now about seven and a half years old and was delivered to Etihad from Toulouse in May 2016. It is powered by four Engine Alliance GP 7000 powerplants.
The airline has already said the only route the A380 will use is from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow. As the autumn progresses, the carrier will operate these flights three times a day.
Unless the airline's plans change, Etihad's first A380 flight will take place on 15 July. The second daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Heathrow will start on August 1st, with a third on October 1st.
With London being one of the top destinations today, Etihad is betting big on the UK capital. The Abu Dhabi-based airline will be able to carry many travelers from the UK to East Asia and Australia with one stop at its hub in the UAE.