Etihad bids farewell to A380 in New York; luxury service now to Toronto

Etihad Airways ended its Airbus A380 service to New York JFK on June 23. The airline announced that the route will now be operated by the smaller Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. The A380s withdrawn from the New York route have been redeployed to operate services from Abu Dhabi to Toronto starting June 24. The inaugural flight on this route was operated by A6-APD, a 10.4-year-old A380 aircraft. Etihad recently reactivated its A380 fleet, and the aircraft now serve four major cities: Abu Dhabi, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Singapore, and Toronto.

Meanwhile, Etihad is focusing on expanding its U.S. network. Considering the growing demand from passengers traveling to and from India, the airline has announced new services to Atlanta starting July 2, and to Charlotte in May 2026.

While replacing the A380 with the A350-1000 on the New York route reduces seat capacity, deploying the A380 to Toronto increases seat availability and provides a more luxurious travel experience for passengers to Canada. Due to bilateral restrictions between Canada and the UAE that limit flight frequency, this move will help Etihad meet passenger demand more effectively. Through these strategic changes, Etihad aims to improve operational efficiency and strengthen its presence in key markets.