Etihad Airways, one of the ten remaining commercial airlines operating the Airbus A380, recently reactivated its eighth aircraft. This is a significant development as the UAE carrier had previously stored this aircraft and scrapped its tenth and final A380.

All of Etihad’s A380s have a maximum capacity of 486 seats and feature a consistent configuration. This includes two luxurious Residence suites, nine first-class apartments, 70 business seats, and 405 economy seats.

Planned Destinations for Etihad’s A380s in 2026

It is important to note that airline schedules are subject to change, especially for later in the year, as airlines finalize their networks and schedules. As such, this article reflects the current plan as of January 21. Any significant changes will be addressed separately.

Etihad’s schedule submission to Cirium Diio shows that five routes are scheduled to have A380 service this year, which is more than in previous years due to the additional reactivated aircrafts.

The primary development for 2026 is the debut of the A380 on the Abu Dhabi to Tokyo Narita route on July 17. It will replace the A350-1000 and operate daily until November, at which point its performance will be evaluated for potential future rotations in summer 2027.

Etihad’s A380 Operations

Etihad’s A380s will also operate daily flights to London Heathrow, Paris CDG, Singapore, and Toronto this year. The airline has increased its A380 services by 3%, with 19 weekly departures available for longer periods than last year.

The airline’s second most popular aircraft for departures from Abu Dhabi this year will be the A380, with 2,105 planned departures. This is second to the Boeing 787-9, followed by the 787-10, A350-1000, and 777-300ER. The A330-200, with only 105 departures, is the least used variant as it is not scheduled beyond March.

Etihad plans to have up to seven daily A380 departures from Abu Dhabi, starting on June 17, coinciding with the aircraft’s debut to Japan. The airline’s last seven or more daily departures were in early 2020, making this a notable return to that level.

Etihad’s A380 Destinations

Since its first commercial flight in December 2014, Etihad has deployed the A380 to ten airports globally, with some seeing regular service and others on a one-off basis.

Regular A380 flights were previously operated from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne, Mumbai, New York JFK, Seoul Incheon, and Sydney. It is uncertain if any of these destinations will see the return of Etihad’s A380s in the future. Surprisingly, Bangkok has not yet seen A380 service from Etihad, despite being an important city for Emirates’ A380s.