Etihad to Fly Eighth A380 to Tokyo Daily Starting Summer 2025
Etihad Airways has announced plans to return its eighth Airbus A380 to commercial service with the launch of daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Tokyo, signaling continued confidence in premium long-haul travel demand and the strategic importance of the UAE-Japan corridor.
The new service will commence on June 16, 2025, connecting Zayed Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) with Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) as the busy summer travel season begins. Tokyo becomes the fifth destination in Etihad’s A380 network, joining London, Paris, Toronto, and Singapore.
The deployment represents a carefully calibrated expansion of Etihad’s superjumbo operations. After storing much of its A380 fleet during the pandemic years, the UAE flag carrier has been gradually reintroducing the aircraft on routes with sufficient demand to justify the economics of operating the world’s largest passenger airliner.
“As we bring our latest A380 back into service, we’re delighted to introduce our remarkable aircraft to Japan,” said Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways. “Our guests consistently tell us they love the onboard experience. Our attentive cabin crew delivers dedicated service to every passenger, whether they’re travelling in Economy, Business, First or The Residence, our three-room suite in the sky.”
The aircraft will feature Etihad’s signature premium products, including The Residence, marketed as the world’s only three-room suite in the sky. The First Class cabin offers nine private suites with designer tableware, spacious leather lounge chairs, and separate ottomans that convert into 80-inch lie-flat beds. On the upper deck, Business Class passengers can select from 70 private Business Studios.
De emphasized the route’s strong commercial foundation: “We’ve seen strong demand from customers for more seats to Japan, and the A380 allows us to deliver that. The aircraft is particularly well-suited to this route, given the importance of business travel between the UAE and Japan, two nations with deep economic and cultural ties. Japan has always been a favourite destination for our guests, and this move reinforces our commitment to the market.”
The schedule has been designed to optimize connectivity through Abu Dhabi’s hub. Flights will depart the UAE capital at 21:25, arriving in Tokyo at 12:45 the following day. Return services leave Japan at 18:00, landing back in Abu Dhabi at 00:20.
The Tokyo announcement aligns with Etihad’s previously stated A380 reactivation strategy. In August 2024, reports indicated two additional superjumbos were being prepared to rejoin the fleet after nearly five years in storage. Speaking at an industry event in July 2024, De outlined the airline’s pragmatic approach: “We continue to explore bringing additional A380s back. We want more A380s back, but we don’t want to bring them if they don’t bring us money.”
At that time, the first stored aircraft was expected to return in June 2026, with a second following in January 2027. The Tokyo service represents the materialization of that strategy, with the airline carefully matching its most capacity-intensive aircraft to routes with demonstrated premium demand.
The Abu Dhabi-Tokyo route holds particular strategic significance given the deepening economic relationship between the UAE and Japan, with substantial business travel in both directions supporting demand for premium cabin products that make A380 operations commercially viable.
Source ID: SRCE-2025-1764102495226-910