Abu Dhabi’s Etihad to fly A380 on daily Paris route

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has announced that it will deploy an Airbus A380 on one of its daily services to Paris from July 1.

The route is currently operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft.

From July 1, flight EY31, which departs Abu Dhabi at 2.15 am and arrives in Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at 7.50 am will be operated by the super jumbo. The A380 will return as EY32, departing from the French capital at 10.40am and arriving in the UAE capital at 7.30pm.

Etihad’s second daily flight to Paris will continue to be operated by a Boeing 777.

In March, the airline had said that the A380 would be deployed to Paris only during the summer – from July 1 to October 28 – to meet additional demand.

But in a statement on Sunday, Etihad said the additional capacity will provide business and leisure travellers from France with more opportunities to visit Abu Dhabi throughout the year.

The deployment of the 496-seat A380 will add 168 additional seats on the route each way.

The airline will also now offer an all-A380 daily service from Paris to both Melbourne and Sydney via Abu Dhabi, it said.

Currently, Etihad flies the jumbo jet to four long-haul destinations including London, Sydney, New York and Melbourne.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways CEO, said: “Flying our flagship aircraft to France helps fulfil growing demand and offers greater travel experiences for the flying public.

“Paris is one of our busiest and best performing European routes, so the deployment of this upgraded service will provide benefits to travellers to and from Abu Dhabi, and our popular connecting cities across Asia and Australia.”

Etihad Airways’ A380 features two seats in its exclusive luxury area ‘The Residence’, nine in first class, 70 in business class and 415 in the economy cabin.

The Residence is a private, three-room suite featuring a living room with a 32-inch LCD monitor, bedroom with a double bed, separate en-suite shower room and dedicated personal butler. The cabin also comes with a private chef.