Etihad Airways will begin sending its A380 superjumbo to Melbourne from June 1 2016.
The aircraft will be deployed on flights EY460 and EY461 – one of the airline’s twice-daily Abu Dhabi–Melbourne services.
This will replace one of the incumbent three-class B777-300ER currently serving the route.
Flight times will remain unchanged, with EY460 departing Abu Dhabi at 2145 and arriving in Melbourne at 1720 the following day. The return flight sees EY461 take off from Melbourne at 2240 and touch back down in Abu Dhabi at 0645 the next day.
Packing 496 seats in total, Etihad Airways’ A380 features a four-class configuration, consisting of nine First Apartments, 70 Business Studios, and 415 Economy Smart seats. There is also The Residence, Etihad’s ultra-luxurious three-room suite, which includes a living room, separate ensuite shower room double bedroom and a dedicated Savoy-trained Butler.
The Residence on the A380
“Melbourne is an important point on our global network, and our Abu Dhabi to Melbourne services continue to generate very high seat load factors on a year round basis,” said James Hogan, president and chief executive of Etihad Airways.
“After just three months of operations, demand for our second daily service is already exceeding our expectations.
“Deploying the 496-seat A380 to Melbourne will enable us to accelerate our growth in the Victorian market by providing additional capacity, particularly in business class, where demand for seats continually outstrips supply.”
For more information, visit etihad.com
Clement Huang
