Etihad Airways is one of ten airlines that continues to fly the Airbus A380 commercially. Among the biggest developments recently was that the UAE carrier reactivated its eighth frame. A ninth aircraft remains stored, while number ten—it only ever had ten A380s—was scrapped.

Where Etihad's A380s Will Fly In 2026

Examining a network so early in the year is fraught with difficulty, and plans can and often do change. This is especially the case for later in the year, as all airlines, including Etihad, are still finalizing their networks and schedules. As such, treat this article for what it is: a snapshot of the situation as of January 21. Any significant changes will be dealt with separately as they happen.

Etihad's schedule submission to Cirium Diio shows that five routes are down to see the type this year. This is more links than had regular flights for several years, which obviously reflects the additional frames being used.

The primary development in 2026 is Tokyo Narita, which will see an Etihad superjumbo for the first time on June 17. Replacing the 371-seat A350-1000 (which I reviewed last year), the 486-seat A380 will operate daily. For now, at least, the double-decker is only scheduled through November. If the performance was sufficiently good, it'll return in the summer of 2027.

Up To Seven Daily A380 Flights From Abu Dhabi

Unsurprisingly, no carrier other than Etihad has ever scheduled double-decker flights to/from the UAE capital. This is different if the criterion is removed, as Qantas, for example, stored some aircraft there. Since the A380's first commercial flight with Singapore Airlines in 2007, Abu Dhabi has been the world's 14th most-served airport for superjumbo activity.

When all of Etihad's widebodies are considered, the A380 will be Etihad's second most-used equipment from Abu Dhabi this year. Some 2,105 departures are planned, against 14,951 on the Boeing 787-9, 3,472 on the 787-10, 3,296 on the A350-1000, and 2,906 on the 777-300ER. The least-used machine will be the A330-200, with just 105 departures, as the variant is not scheduled beyond March.

Etihad plans up to seven daily departures from Abu Dhabi on the A380. This will take effect on June 17, coinciding with the type's debut to Japan. Using Cirium data to examine every single superjumbo service shows seven or more departures were last available in early 2020. As such, the return to that level is notable.

On June 17, for example, A380s will leave Abu Dhabi at 2:15 am (Toronto), 2:20 am (London Heathrow), 2:35 am (Paris CDG), 8:05 am (London Heathrow), 2:10 pm (London Heathrow), 9:25 pm (Tokyo Narita), and 9:40 pm (Singapore).

Source: Simple Flying