Australia will see Etihad’s new-look product in June 2015 when the airline begins operating its A380 to Sydney, it has been revealed.
Melbourne will follow in 2016 while Brisbane and Perth are on a list of 40 destinations to served, over time, by the Dreamliner.
The carrier, which unveiled the cabins for both aircraft at an event yesterday, said Abu Dhabi to Sydney will be among the first five routes operated by the A380, of which it has 10 on order.
Etihad takes delivery of its first A380 in December and a second in early 2015 with London the first route to be served. Three more will arrive during the year, with Sydney, Paris and New York the next destinations.
Three more A380s will be delivered in 2016 – when Melbourne is expected to see the aircraft – with the order book completed in 2017.
Etihad’s A380 will be configured with 498 passengers made up of 417 in economy, 70 in Business Studios, nine in First Apartments and two in The Residence.
Meanwhile, the first of Etihad’s 71 Dreamliners it has on order – 41 of the -9 variety and 30 -10s – will also enter service in December. Abu Dhabi to Dusseldorf will be the launch route followed by Washington and Mumbai in January 2015.
Etihad will take delivery of two 787s late this year, followed by three in 2015, three in 2016 and nine in 2017.
While Brisbane and Perth are both on the list of 787 destinations, Etihad chief executive James Hogan was unable to give any timeframe for their deployment to Australia.
The 787 will carry 235 passengers, 199 in economy, eight in first class and 28 in business.
“Over the coming years this next generation aircraft will be used by Etihad Airways to launch flights to new destinations, add capacity in existing markets and progressively replace existing, less-efficient aircraft,” chief commercial officer Paul Baumgartner said.
Hogan added that the 787 has a profitability ration “far greater than the A330”, partly a result of its fuel efficiency.
