Final two Etihad Airbus A380s poised to rejoin fleet after 5 years in storage

Two more Etihad Airways A380 aircraft are poised to rejoin the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag carrier’s fleet after almost five years in storage at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details surrounding the A380-800’s release were first announced by aviation journalist Andreas Spaeth who tipped A6–APC and A6-APB as the superjumbos set to fly again.

At an Etihad open day for Wizz Air’s Abu Dhabi staff at the end of July 2025, Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial officer of Etihad, confirmed the carrier’s ambitions to return more A380s to service.

“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,” De told The National.

IanC66 / Shutterstock.comThe first superjumbo will join Etihad’s seven operating A380s in June 2026, while the second will return in January 2027. The last A380, registered A6-APA, in storage is being parted out.

Etihad’s intenstion to bring back more of its stored A380s into service as demand continues to rise has been well known.

Etihad brought back its first stored A380, registered A6-APG, in March 2023, while the second A380 registered A6-API, left storage in May 2023.

Its third double-decker aircraft, registered A6-APH, departed its storage location at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport (LDE) on June 21, 2023.

Busiest month ever for deliveries

In other news, Etihad said that July 2025 was the airline’s busiest month for aircraft deliveries in the company’s history.

Throughout July, Etihad took delivery of five aircraft including its inaugural A321LR, two Boeing 787 Dreamliners, one Airbus A350-1000, and one Airbus A320.

Our brand new A321LR takes off on its inaugural flight tomorrow, 1 August, from Abu Dhabi to Phuket! Stay tuned to see the experience unfold #Etihad #BeyondBorders pic.twitter.com/fCBq6ecJMQ— Etihad Airways (@etihad) July 31, 2025 The new A321LR makes its first commercial flight on August 1, 2025, from Abu Dhabi to Phuket.

“July has been a remarkable month for Etihad Airways. Taking delivery of five aircraft is our most intensive delivery programme to date and showcases our ambitious growth trajectory,” said Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways.

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