Etihad Airways will return its eighth Airbus A380 to the skies after announcing the launch of a new daily Tokyo service beginning in summer 2026.
The first flight between Zayed Abu Dhabi International (AUH) and Narita International (NRT) is scheduled to commence on June 16, 2025, as the busy summer travel season starts.
Etihad Airbus A380 services are already operating to London, Paris, Toronto and Singapore, making Japan’s capital the fifth destination for the superjumbo.
“As we bring our latest A380 back into service, we’re delighted to introduce our remarkable aircraft to Japan. Our guests consistently tell us they love the onboard experience. Our attentive cabin crew delivers dedicated service to every passenger, whether they’re travelling in Economy, Business, First or The Residence, our three-room suite in the sky,” said Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways.
The A380 will feature Etihad’s The Residence product, the world’s only three-room suite in the sky, according to Etihad.
The first class section features nine private spaces equipped with designer tableware, a spacious leather lounge chair, and a separate ottoman that transforms into an 80″ lie-flat bed.
While on the upper deck, business class passengers can enjoy Business Studios, which provides 70 private spaces.
“We’ve seen strong demand from customers for more seats to Japan, and the A380 allows us to deliver that. The aircraft is particularly well-suited to this route, given the importance of business travel between the UAE and Japan, two nations with deep economic and cultural ties. Japan has always been a favourite destination for our guests, and this move reinforces our commitment to the market,” added De.
Flights will depart daily from Abu Dhabi at 21:25 and arrive in Tokyo at 12:45 the following day. The return flight is scheduled to leave Japan at 18:00 before landing back in the UAE at 00:20.
In August 2025, AeroTime reported that two more Etihad A380 aircraft were poised to rejoin the UAE flag carrier’s fleet after almost five years in storage.
At an event in July 2025, De spoke about the carrier’s ambitions to return more A380s to service.
“We continue to explore bringing additional A380s back. We want more A380s back, but we don’t want to bring them if they don’t bring us money,” De told The National.
At the time it was understood that the first stored superjumbo would join Etihad’s seven operating A380s in June 2026, while the second would return in January 2027.
