Etihad yet to decide on returning its Airbus A380s to the skies, CEO says

Boeing 787 Dreamliner 'massively' more efficient than the four-engine A380, Tony Douglas says

An Etihad A380 in Sheikh Zayed livery. Courtesy Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways is mulling a decision on whether it will return its Airbus A380s to service again after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the airline to ground its ten superjumbos.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the backbone of Etihad Airways' fleet, is "massively" more efficient than the four-engined A380 jet, Tony Douglas, chief executive of Etihad Aviation Group, said in a podcast released by the airline on Tuesday.

"The jury is out," Mr Douglas said on whether Etihad will ever fly the A380 again. "It's heavily handicapped by two engines too many and [by] other aircraft that can do the job far more efficiently, far more sustainably."

In March, Etihad grounded a bulk of its fleet when the UAE issued a decision to suspend passenger flights to curb the spread of the virus. Since then, passenger services have restarted to 52 destinations using smaller aircraft such as 787s as the pandemic continues to hurt air travel demand amid government-imposed restrictions.

Etihad's fleet of 10 A380 double-deckers, which were first introduced in 2014 and have a seating capacity of up to 486, remain grounded.

"I'm not trying to rule out the A380," Mr Douglas said. "But in the same way as the [Boeing] 747s have finally been retired pretty much everywhere, I think we're probably now going to see an acceleration of the same with the global A380 fleet.

The chief executive did not provide a timeline for when the airline will make a decision on the future of its A380 aircraft.

Etihad Airways chief executive Tony Douglas spoke on the airline's new podcast 'Altitudes by Etihad'. Victor Besa / The National

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier currently has 38 Boeing 787s in its fleet. Last week, Eithad confirmed this number will increase to 40 by the end of the year. In 2021, the airline will begin to receive the first of another 11 jets on order. It currently operates Boeing 787 and 777 widebodies as well as Airbus A320 and A321 narrowbodies.

Commenting on the recent peace accord between the UAE and Israel, Mr Douglas said the normalisation of ties between the two countries opens up opportunities for air travel.

________________

Airbus A380 through the years

• 

  Airbus will stop production of its A380 superjet by 2021 Reuters

• 

  People look at a Emirates A380 airbus landing in Nice, south of France. AFP

• 

  Sheikh Mohammed takes a tour of an Emirates A380 during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Airshow in 2013. AFP

• 

  A visitor poses for a photo in front of an Emirates A380 Airbus passenger aircraft decorated with a giant portrait of UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. AFP

• 

  Airbus and Emirates celebrate the 100th A380 in 2018. Courtesy Emirates

• 

  The A380 is the World biggest passenger jet . AP

• 

  Emirates will receive 14 more A380s from Airbus before the plane maker ends production. Courtesy Emirates

• 

  Airbus said Thursday it will stop making A380 superjumbo jets in 2021 after struggling to win clients. AP Photo

• 

  Interior of Business Class on an Emirates A380. Courtesy: Emirates

• 

  Interior of Business Class on Emirates A380. Courtsey: Emirates

• 

  An air stewardess arranges bedsheets of a double bed in a suite of Singapore Airlines' new Airbus A380 during a tour of the plane at Changi Airport in Singapore. AFP

• 

  An Airbus A380, the largest passenger jet in the world, in Dubai. The airline topped a list of attractive employers in a recent survey of Gen Y and Gen Z. EPA

• 

  The special Emirates A380 will be in service with the Real Madrid decal for six months. Courtesy Emirates

• 

  United for Wildlife Emirates A380 before its first flight to London. Courtesy Emirates Airline

• 

  An Etihad Airways A380 at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Christopher Pike / The National

• 

  A Singapore Airlines Airbus in the snow at JFK, 2018. Reuters

• 

  Etihad Airways economy on an A380. Courtesy Etihad

• 

  The Lobby of an Etihad Airways A380. AFP

• 

  Aermacchi MB-339 jets from UAE's Al-Fursan display team perform with an Airbus A380 from Etihad Airways before the start of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit. AFP

• 

  An Emirates Airbus A380 plane in Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo

• 

  An Emirates Airline A-380 leads UAE's "Al Fursan" aerobatic display team, during the opening day of the Dubai Air Show. AP Photo

• 

  The tail of the Airbus A-380 at the 46th Paris Air Show. Getty Images

• 

  An Emirates Airbus A380 plane is seen at Nice International airport in Nice, France. REUTERS

• 

  An Airbus SAS A380 super jumbo performs a flying display on day two of the 51st International Paris Air Show in Paris, France. Bloomberg

• 

  Line Emirates is one of the airlines included in the TSA's emergency order. Courtesy Emirates

• 

  Tthe A380 has been Airbus’s flagship project for the past two decades. Bloomberg

• 

  A British Airways A380. Courtesy British Airways

• 

  A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at Beijing airport. AFP

• 

  New wheels on the Emirates A380. Courtesy Emirates

• 

  At Dubai's Miracle Garden, more than five million flowers were grown to produce a full-size Emirates Airbus A380. Courtesy Guinness World Records

________________

"We’ve already been in dialogue and see there’s nothing other than great opportunities to explore the means by which we can give a direct air corridor from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi," he said, without providing details.

Global airlines are more bearish about air travel growth in 2020 after a second wave of Covid-19 cases and travel restrictions stalled a modest improvement during the summer, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said in a briefing on Tuesday.

The industry body cut its forecast for this year's traffic growth to an average decline of 66 per cent year-on-year, from a previous estimate of 63 per cent.