Etihad Airways is set to reintroduce two more Airbus A380 aircraft into its fleet as part of its post-pandemic recovery strategy. The sixth and seventh A380s will return in February and June 2025, according to Arik De, the airline's chief revenue officer. These planes will service routes to Singapore and an undisclosed destination.
The airline resumed its A380 operations last year on flights from Abu Dhabi to London's Heathrow Airport. Since then, Etihad has expanded these operations to Mumbai, New York, and Paris.
During the pandemic, many airlines had retired their A380s due to reduced demand. However, with a resurgence in passenger numbers and delays in new aircraft deliveries from Airbus and Boeing, several carriers have reactivated their A380 fleets. "The Airbus A380 we never thought we'd bring back, and [soon we will] have seven of them flying," said De.