Etihad Airways currently has seven active Airbus A380s. However, two more frames will be operational in 2026, while the tenth aircraft—it has only ever had ten superjumbos—will be used as a spare. Bringing back additional double-deckers means more routes will see the type.
On November 24, Etihad announced that it’ll operate the 486-seat aircraft from Abu Dhabi to Tokyo Narita, starting next June. It will replace the Airbus A350-1000, which will be redeployed elsewhere. Given the importance of freight to the Japanese market, the switchover means that far less space for freight will be available. The A380 has significantly lower freight capacity than the A350-1000.
Etihad’s A380s To Tokyo
According to Cirium Diio, Etihad has flown to the Japanese capital for 15 and a half years. In this period, the Airbus A330-200, A340-500, A340-600, A350-1000 (which I reviewed this year), Boeing 777-300ER, 787-9, and 787-10 have all been used. But not the A380.
Etihad will fly the double-decker to 
Tokyo Narita for the first time on June 16, in time for the peak summer season with higher demand. It was announced shortly after Emirates launched its new temporary shortest A380 service. All of Etihad’s superjumbos have the same configuration. There are two The Residence suites, nine first-class apartments, 70 business seats, and 405 economy seats.
Booking data for the 12 months to September 2025 suggests that nine in ten of Etihad’s Tokyo passengers connected to another flight in Abu Dhabi. Unsurprisingly, the vast bulk traveled to/from Europe, with its schedule particularly well-suited to this continent. Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Tel Aviv, London, Milan, Istanbul, Brussels, and Dublin were the ten most popular cities globally for connections.
|
Frequency |
Abu Dhabi To Narita; Local Times* |
Narita To Abu Dhabi; Local Times** |
|---|---|---|
|
Daily |
9:25 pm-12:45+1 pm |
6:00 pm-12:20+1 am |
|
* Next July, in Simple Flying’s new time format |
** Next July, in Simple Flying’s new time format |
Etihad Plans 5 A380 Routes Next Summer, For Now
Etihad is one of the world’s fastest-growing full-service network airlines. The confirmation of Tokyo service means it currently plans five A380 routes next summer. It’ll deploy the 486-seater to London Heathrow (19 weekly; two to three daily), Paris CDG (daily), Singapore (daily), Tokyo Narita (daily), and Toronto (daily).
Singapore first saw Etihad’s superjumbos in February 2025, followed by Toronto three months later. The Japanese capital will be next. In October 2024, the airline’s Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, Arik De, said there’s little demand for the A380 other than to its core markets.
Air Arabia Confirms Double Daily Airbus A321LR Flights To London
Timed at up to 7h 50m, it will become the carrier’s new longest service.
Up To Seven Daily Departures Are Now Planned
As of November 25, and subject to change, Etihad’s A380s are currently down to operate 47 weekly departures from Abu Dhabi next July. The type will account for 4% of the carrier’s overall passenger flights and 9% of its widebody services. It will, of course, be its least-used twin-aisle equipment, followed by the 787-10 (55 weekly departures).
Six to seven daily A380 takeoffs will exist. Six will be available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, rising to seven across the rest of the week. On July 2, for example, the type will leave Abu Dhabi at 2:15 am (Toronto), 2:20 am (Heathrow), 2:30 am (CDG), 8:05 am (Heathrow), 2:05 pm (Heathrow), 9:20 pm (Singapore), and 9:25 pm (Narita).
Given that more A380s are being reactivated, it is unsurprising that a high of seven daily departures will be the most available since Etihad resumed flying the type in 2023. However, it will not be a record, which Cirium shows was eight daily departures.
Sticking with July, eight daily takeoffs were available in that month in 2019, which was before the world temporarily changed because of the pandemic. At the time, the superjumbo flew to Heathrow (three daily), CDG (two daily), JFK (daily), Seoul (daily), and Sydney (daily). Depending on when Etihad’s ninth frame will be operational, another A380 route might materialize, or frequencies might be increased on routes that already see the type.
