Etihad to ground all remaining A380 superjumbos

dubai — UAE national carrier Etihad Airways said on Sunday its fleet of Airbus superjumbo A380s will remain grounded as part of a strategy to become “a mid-sized carrier” by operating only twin-engine wide body aircraft until a rebound in demand happens.

An Etihad spokesperson said as the airline continues “”to focus on recovery and rebuilding its global network,” it will continue to rely on the efficiencies and advantages of its twin engine, wide-body aircraft.

“As Etihad continues to focus on recovery and rebuilding our global network, we will continue to rely on the efficiencies and advantages of our twin engine, wide-body aircraft. During this period, Etihad’s 10 A380s will remain grounded, unless the demand grows and there is sufficient appetite to reassess their viability,” the spokesperson said. Etihad has a fleet of 10 Airbus 380-800 aircraft that have been out of service since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Earlier, in an internal memo, the carrier has reportedly told the cabin that they would be notified by e-mail about whether they were being furloughed. In October, the airline indicated that it would be revamping its operating model into a mid-sized airline that is “leaner, flatter and scalable to support organic growth as air travel resumes” in the wake of the pandemic.

Last month, Etihad removed its Airbus A380 fleet from its flight schedule indefinitely. Previously, it has only been removing A380s from the schedule a month or two in advance. However, the A380s have now disappeared from Etihad’s flight schedules for the next 11 months. Etihad operated its A380s on crucial routes. However, the airline’s schedule, which shows flights up to September 2021, indicates that all destinations usually served by the A380 will be operated by 787-9s.