The first of four Airbus A380 planes that Etihad Airlines aims to refurbish for the next summer season has arrived.
On March 9, 2023, the A6-APG-registered aircraft was seen departing Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport (LDE) in France, which is about 150 kilometers (93.2 miles) south of Toulouse, France, the home of Airbus.
On March 10, 2023, at 2:51 AM local time (UTC +4), the Airbus A380 arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), the home airport of Etihad Airways, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Super Jumbo arrived at LDE on January 30, 2023, from its previous storage facility at Spain’s Teruel Airport (TEV), where it had spent just over a month.
After arriving from AUH in April 2021, the A380 was kept there for storage.
According to data from planespotters.net, the airplane was kept at the UAE airport between March 2020 and April 2021.
The Airbus A380 had 20,361 flight hours and 2,206 flight cycles as of December 31, 2023, with an average stage length of nine hours and 14 minutes, according to data from ch-aviation.com.
For the forthcoming busy summer travel season, Etihad Airlines will return four Airbus A380s altogether. Between AUH and London Heathrow Airport, all four will travel (LHR).
