Final Etihad A380 grounded since pandemic returns to Abu Dhabi

Dhaka: The final Etihad Airways Airbus A380 that had been stored during the COVID-19 pandemic has returned to Abu Dhabi after more than five years parked in southern France.

On September 17, the 12-year-old double-decker was ferried from Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport in France to Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport in the UAE.

According to media reports, the aircraft, registered A6-APB, had spent the last eight months being readied for flight by aircraft specialists TARMAC Aerosave.

Following its arrival in Abu Dhabi, the superjumbo is now undergoing further heavy maintenance before it can resume commercial operations.

A6-APB was delivered to Etihad in 2015 but was withdrawn from service in 2020 and flown to Tarbes that December.

In August 2025, reports emerged that Etihad intended to bring its last two A380s back into service by June 2026 and January 2027.

According to fleet tracking platforms, another aircraft, registered A6-APC, had already returned to service on June 5 after arriving back in Abu Dhabi in January.

Etihad revived its first stored A380, A6-APG, in March 2023, followed by A6-API in May of the same year. A third jet, A6-APH, left storage in June 2023.

Once A6-APB re-enters service, all nine of Etihad's remaining Airbus A380s will be active. A tenth aircraft, A6-APA, was scrapped in 2025.

Etihad grounded its entire 10-strong A380 fleet during the pandemic. Though there were initially no plans to bring the jets back, a subsequent surge in long-haul travel demand changed that outlook.