Etihad reactivates another Airbus A380 as fleet restoration nears completion
January 14, 2026
Etihad Airways has taken another step towards restoring its pre-pandemic Airbus A380 fleet.
One of its long-stored superjumbos departed southern France for Abu Dhabi, marking the reactivation of the second-to-last A380 previously parked during the Covid downturn.
The aircraft, an A380-861 registered A6-APC with manufacturer serial number (MSN) 176, was flown from Tarbes-Lourdes to Etihad’s home base on 14 January after spending nearly six years in storage.
The jet had been grounded since 2020 as the airline sharply reduced capacity and reassessed its long-term widebody strategy in the face of worldwide travel restrictions.
After almost six years in storage, A6-APC took off from Tarbes (LDE) at just after 07:00 UTC this morning. It flew for over six hours, heading southeast across the Mediterranean and through Egypt to the Middle East. It touched down at 18:40 local time, or 14:40 UTC.
This particular Airbus A380 is one of two that received the ADNOC ‘Choose the UK’ livery. The liveries in this series were part of a partnership between Etihad and ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), celebrating key partners around the world.
It is not known if the aircraft still sports the livery, which used to have images of iconic British sights such as Big Ben and the London Eye.
Etihad’s shrinking group of stored Airbus A380s
With the return of A6-APC, only one Etihad A380 now remains in storage.
Aircraft MSN 170, registered A6-APB, has been parked since March 2020 and has yet to be reactivated.
Another aircraft, MSN 166 (A6-APA), which entered storage in November 2020, will never return to service, having been scrapped in July 2025.
The latest ferry flight, therefore, leaves Etihad with just a single dormant A380, showing how far the carrier has progressed in reversing its earlier decision to mothball the type indefinitely.
In the immediate aftermath, many believed Etihad’s A380s may never fly for the UAE’s flag carrier again.
Why Etihad brought the Airbus A380 back into service
Like the other A380 operators, Etihad axed its superjumbo operations during the pandemic, citing high operating costs and a renewed focus on efficiency and sustainability.
All ten of the aircraft were grounded, and Etihad initially said it had no plans to return them to service after the pandemic.
However, the sharp rebound in long-haul demand, particularly on high-density routes, prompted a reassessment.
The carrier returned the first A380 to revenue service in 2023, initially on flights between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow, where premium demand and slot constraints make the aircraft particularly attractive.
The inaugural flight departed Abu Dhabi on 25 July 2023 at 02.05 and landed at London Heathrow at 06.45 local time.
Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad CEO, said at the time: “The aircraft adds much-needed capacity connecting Abu Dhabi with London Heathrow and allows us to build our network and increase frequencies across the network. With a surge in demand for travel over the summer, the return of our much-loved A380 comes at the perfect time.”
Since then, Etihad has steadily expanded A380 operations as part of a broader capacity rebuild.
The superjumbo plays a specific role within Etihad’s network, offering high seat counts on trunk routes while supporting the airline’s premium offering, including its flagship first-class Residence apartments.
When will the final A380 return from storage?
Despite the progress, Etihad has not confirmed whether its final stored A380, A6-APB, will also return to service.
The airline has previously indicated that A380 deployments will remain limited and demand-driven, rather than signalling a full restoration of the original fleet.
Featured image: Markus Mainka / stock.adobe.com
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