The A380 arrival in Sydney late yesterday afternoon was only the start of Etihad’s big plans for its services to and from Australia, with new direct flights from Brisbane and additional capacity to Melbourne.
The inaugural Abu Dhabi-Sydney A380 flight – EY454 – arrived in Sydney from Abu Dhabi yesterday, touching down at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport at 5.55pm.
As well as featuring the airline’s new ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi‘ livery, the airline also brought with it first-of-its-kind commercial inflight products and luxury.
Nik Young, Anywhere travel & Adriana Abal, The Travel Authority Group on the A380.
This includes ‘The Residence‘ – a luxurious, private, three-bed room space – the first in commercial aviation.
The ‘Flying Apartment’ also features a large 32” LCD monitor in the living room, a separate 24” version in bedroom, plus a butler.
Kerrie Mather talking at celebrations in Sydney last night. Image: Ali Ahmad.
Last night’s arrival made Australia one of the first countries in the world to welcome ‘The Residence’ and Sydney the first Australian city.
Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kerrie Mather, said the airport was thrilled to be one of the first and expects it will ‘bolster’ Sydney Airport’s status.
“The upgrade will bolster Sydney Airport’s status as the leading airport globally for next-generation aircraft and boost tourism to Sydney and NSW by increasing seat capacity.”
Kerrie Mather, Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
The A380 will operate one of the airline’s two daily services between Sydney and Abu Dhabi. The airline’s additional four weekly Airbus A340-600 flights will be upgraded to a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The new daily A380 service, together with an upgrade to a B777-300ER from the current A340-600 for the airline’s other four weekly flights, will increase the total number of two-way seats on the route by 30 per cent to 9,568 seats per week.
iTravel, Sylvia Jeffreys from the Today Show & Etihad welcome the A380 to Sydney.
But the capacity boost in Australia doesn’t end there.
Etihad today commences non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Brisbane.
Utilising the Boeing 787-9, the aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi yesterday to arrive in Brisbane today at 5.50pm.
Many thanks to AnthonyJohnson for this pic of EY454, the first Etihad Airways A380 into #Sydney tonight.
Posted by Trevor Sinclair on Monday, June 1, 2015
Return flight EY485 will depart Brisbane for Abu Dhabi at 9.35pm today and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 6.00am local time.
The Dreamliner flights will replace the daily one-stop services which the airline previously operated via Singapore with a two-class Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said the flights were a reflection of Etihad Airways’ enduring commitment to the Queensland travel market and the strong performance of the Brisbane route.
Inside ‘The Residence’.
Etihad Airways’ new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will carry 235 guests – eight in First Class, 28 in Business Class and 199 in Economy Class.
Passengers on the B787-9 Dreamliner enjoy improvements such as the industry’s largest windows; air that is cleaner, more humid and at a higher pressure for better comfort; large overhead stowage bins, soothing LED lighting; and technology to sense and counter turbulence for a smoother ride.
Over in Melbourne, Etihad will add a second daily flight between Abu Dhabi and the city, introducing 4,500 new seats per week on the route.
The additional flight will start on 1 August and will be operated by the Boeing 777-300ER.
It’s just the beginning for Etihad in Australia.
As well as more seats between the two destinations, travellers will also be able to choose from two departure times, with flights departing Abu Dhabi 10.30 and 22.20 and from Melbourne 15.15 and 22.40.
The airline’s chief executive said new flights meet customer demand for more choice.
“Significantly, we will be the only airline offering double daily non-stop flights between Melbourne and the UAE, and twice daily one-stop services to a vast network of business and leisure destinations worldwide.”
James Hogan, Etihad president and chief executive
