Etihad Airways Boost A380 Flights

Etihad Airways has boosted service towards London Heathrow again utilising its Airbus A380s.

London Heathrow’s A380 Boost

A third daily flight has been added between Abu Dhabi as part of Etihad Airways’ commitment to the city.

London remains a hugely important part of the Etihad network, and at the beginning of November, the airline deployed a further A380 to the route.

Now, three Airbus A380s will fly between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow daily.

Close to 2,000 seats, as a result, are offered every single day to London, indicating the importance placed.

London Brings Back The Etihad A380

The only reason the Airbus A380 is back airborne with Etihad Airways is the London service.

The carrier was one of the many that had retired and grounded the world’s largest passenger plane during the pandemic.

However, with the surging demand and importance of the London route to its network, the company said it would return the type to service.

Four total A380s were said to be reintroduced to the fleet, thanks to an announcement in late 2022.

Etihad Airways said that the A380 being deployed to London would aid its performance. Additionally, it would free up existing aircraft to open new routes and increase frequencies to existing ones.

Returning The A380 As Demand Grows

Many airlines worldwide had pulled the plug on Airbus A380 operations during the global pandemic.

As travel demand had dropped to 0, analysts and airlines began to question the A380’s efficiency.

Many operators also signalled their intent to no longer fly the plane to move towards more efficient aircraft.

Etihad Airways was one of those airlines until demand surged and a high-capacity airliner was required.

Interestingly, executives at the airline also flag their customers’ love for the aircraft as a reason to bring the type back.