Etihad’s Second Airbus A380 Emerges From Storage In Tarbes

In mid-March, Etihad reactivated its first Airbus A380 after parking the whole thing of its superjumbo fleet in long-term storage. It was on the very end of 2022 that the airline made the exciting announcement that it might return at the least a part of its fleet of A380s to industrial passenger service. Because it stands, the airline is planning to reactivate 4 airframes. This week, preparations are underway to return a second Etihad A380 to its ‘home base’ in Abu Dhabi.

From Teruel to Tarbes

Following an identical series of steps as the primary Etihad A380 when it re-emerged from storage, the aircraft registered A6-APH (MSN 199) was relocated from Teruel Airport (TEV) in Spain to Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport (LDE) in France. The jet took off from Teruel on May ninth at 15:15 as flight EY9750, landing in Tarbes at 16:45 local time. Because the aircraft was stored at Teruel on June twenty third, 2021, May ninth was the jet’s first flight in nearly two years.

On the time of publication, the aircraft stays at LDE, likely undergoing additional maintenance before a lengthy flight to Abu Dhabi. For reference, the primary A380 to be reactivated, registered A6-APG, moved from TEV to LDE on January thirtieth. It then spent about five weeks at Tarbes before flying to Abu Dhabi. It would not be surprising if A6-APH also spent the rest of May (and a part of June) in France.

Photo: FlightRadar24.com

As per Planespotters.net data, A6-APH is now roughly seven-and-a-half years of age, having been delivered to Etihad in May 2016. Powered by a set of 4 Engine Alliance GP 7000 powerplants, ch-aviation.com states that the airframe has amassed 19,988 flight hours across 2,175 cycles. With this data being accurate as of February twenty eighth, we are able to confidently add one additional cycle and 1.5 additional flight hours to this tally.

Etihad’s A380 plans

While it might be nice to see Etihad A380s serving many airports worldwide, the airline has revealed that the only real route it’ll be deployed on is from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow. Indeed, as we reported in February, the carrier will operate triple day by day A380 flights later this yr, up from the previously scheduled double day by day.

If the airline’s A380 plans have remained unchanged, then we are able to expect the primary Etihad A380 service to happen on July fifteenth. Over again superjumbos come back online, the airline will add a second day by day service between Abu Dhabi and Heathrow from August 1st. Then, from October 1st, a 3rd day by day A380 service will start.

With London continuing to be an incredibly popular market, Etihad is betting big and providing increased service to and from the UK capital. Indeed, the Abu Dhabi-based airline will have the ability to maneuver many UK-based travelers so far as East Asia and Australia with a single stop at its hub within the UAE.

Are you excited to see one other Etihad A380 making preparations to come back back online? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Sources: Planespotters.net, FlightRadar24.com, ch-aviation.com, Aviation Flights