Etihad Airways (EY) will take delivery of its first Airbus A380 aircraft at the end of the year, according to an announcement made at a ceremony in Hamburg.
The Gulf carrier has a total of ten superjumbos on order, and will begin deploying the new aircraft on its thrice-daily service to London from December 27.
The introduction of the A380 is highly anticipated, as it will introduce the super luxurious multi-room “The Residence” class. Available exclusively on the superjumbo, the cabin will feature a living room, double bedroom, separate ensuite shower room, and a dedicated butler.
EY has invested heavily in the new butler service, with the first group being sent for intensive training at the Savoy Butler Academy in London. These 13 trainees were selected from the carrier’s existing group of inflight chefs and F&B managers.
This delivery means that all of the “Big Three” Gulf carriers will soon have the A380 in their fleet. Qatar Airways received their first superjumbo last week, while Emirates currently operates the world’s largest fleet of A380s.
However, according to an article by The National, the three carriers will be looking to achieve different things with the superjumbos . Daniel Tsang, founder and chief analyst at Aspire Aviation, said: “Differentiation in strategies is clearly paramount in succeeding with the Middle East big three at each others’ doorsteps.
“Etihad is adopting an equity-alliance and luxury approach. Emirates is offering the most comprehensive network connecting virtually every port on Earth, and Qatar is seeking to deepen its ties with IAG’s British Airways unit on a possible joint venture between Doha and London Heathrow”.
EY will be taking delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 from the manufacture’s base in Seattle this coming Saturday. The carrier has an existing order of 71 Dreamliners.
For more information, visit etihad.com
Clement Huang
