Etihad Airways A380 took off for Melbourne from Abu Dhabi last night offering travellers between the two cities access to The Residence, the airline’s three-room private suite. EY460 departed Abu Dhabi Airport at 10.15pm last night and landed at 5.45pm today with a traditional water-cannon salute.
EY461 departs Melbourne at 10.10pm tonight. The A380 will operate one of the airline’s double daily flights and will replace one of the three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently operated on the route. Australia is the only country in the airline’s global network with daily A380 services to two cities in Melbourne and Sydney.
The A380 will increase total number of two-way seats on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route by 26% to over 11,500 seats per week. The A380 carries 496 passengers in a four class configuration.
The airline said that the Abu Dhabi – Melbourne services generate very high seat load factors year-round and with 70 seats in business class, it can better meet the demand for its premium cabins. The airline recently opened its new lounge at Melbourne Airport to cater to the volume of travellers on its A380.
