Etihad Airways outlines A380 and 787-9 deployment

Etihad Airways confirmed (27-Aug-2014) plans to commence A380 and Boeing 787-9 operations in Dec-2014. The carrier will deploy A380 equipment on three times daily Abu Dhabi-London service from 27-Dec-2014 and selected Abu Dhabi-Sydney services from 01-Jun-2015. The airline will operate all three daily Abu Dhabi-London frequencies with A380s from 01-May-2015. 787-9 equipment will be introduced on Doha and Düsseldorf services from Dec-2014, Mumbai and Washington services from 01-Jan-2015 and Brisbane and Moscow services from 01-Jun-2015. The carrier has firm orders for 10 A380s, 41 787-9s and 30 787-10s. The airline will debut its new first, business and economy class products on the aircraft, including introduction of 'The Residence' cabins on its A380s. The carrier's A380s will have capacity for 496 passengers in two 'The Residence' cabins, nine first class 'Apartments', 70 business class 'Studios' and 415 economy class seats. Etihad Airways president and CEO James Hogan said demand from passengers for services operated by the aircraft exceeded expectations and the aircraft will play a fundamental role in the development of the airline's network. The A380s will meet demand for increased capacity on high demand routes, especially in first and business class, and the 787-9s will be used to commence new routes, increase capacity in existing markets and replace less efficient aircraft. [more - original PR]