Etihad Airways to launch A380 flights to Paris

Etihad Airways is introducing its award-winning A380 on the Abu Dhabi – Paris route this summer as part of seasonal adjustments to the airline’s fleet deployment plan.

Featuring the carrier’s revolutionary The Residence, the world’s first three-room suite on a commercial airliner, the aircraft will operate on one of its twice-daily services to the French capital between July 1st and October 28th.

Paris becomes the airline’s latest A380 long haul destination following London, Sydney, New York and Melbourne. With the aircraft upgrade from a 328-seat Boeing 777, Etihad Airways is able to offer an all-A380 daily service from Paris to both Melbourne and Sydney via the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub.

The additional capacity will provide business and leisure travellers from the UAE the benefit of experiencing the double decker aircraft with a living room, bedroom and shower in The Residence, and more premium seats in the First Apartments and Business Studios, to meet demand on another popular long haul destination during the peak summer months.

It will also support the strong connecting traffic to and from many cities across Asia and Australia, including Brisbane, Perth, Bangkok, Chengdu, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Shanghai, Seychelles, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, together with destinations across the GCC such as Bahrain, Doha, Jeddah and Muscat.

Flight EY31 has a scheduled departure time from Abu Dhabi International Airport of 02:15 hrs, arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at 07:50 hrs, with the return flight EY32 leaving the French capital at 10:40 hrs, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 19:30 hrs. (all times listed are local).

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, speaking on the announcement, said, "Flying our flagship product to France with additional seat capacity helps fulfil growing demand and meet our guests’ expectations for an even greater travel experience with unmatched luxury, comfort and service.

"Paris is one of our busiest and best performing European routes, so the deployment of this upgraded service will benefit travellers to and from Abu Dhabi, and our popular connecting cities across Asia and Australia."

Etihad Airways’ A380 features a total capacity of 496 seats, with up to two guests in The Residence, nine in First Apartments, 70 in the Business Studios and 415 Economy Smart Seats.

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