Etihad A380 Residence class: Airline puts A380 service on Melbourne to Abu Dhabi route

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Etihad A380 Residence class: Airline puts A380 service on Melbourne to Abu Dhabi route

By Jamie Freed
Updated
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Etihad Airways will introduce its flagship A380, including the luxurious "The Residence" three-room suite, into the Melbourne market from June next year amid a major expansion in Australian capacity by the three major Middle Eastern carriers.

Melbourne will be the fourth global destination from Etihad's Abu Dhabi hub to receive the product, following London, Sydney and New York. Etihad also plans to open its own lounge in Melbourne Airport. An Etihad spokesman said it was expected to open in the first quarter of next year, ahead of the arrival of the A380, to bring additional luxury to its product on the ground.

Etihad chief executive James Hogan, who is originally from Melbourne, said the A380 flights would allow for seamless connections between Melbourne and London.

Melbourne will be the fourth global destination from Etihad's Abu Dhabi hub to receive the product, following London, Sydney and New York.

Melbourne will be the fourth global destination from Etihad's Abu Dhabi hub to receive the product, following London, Sydney and New York.

"Deploying the 496-seat A380 to Melbourne will enable us to accelerate our growth in the Victorian market by providing additional capacity, particularly in business class, where demand for seats continually outstrips supply," Mr Hogan said. "After just three months of operations, demand for our second daily service is already exceeding our expectations."

Etihad first began flying between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi in 2009 but increased to a second daily flight in August.

The A380 flight will replace one of Etihad's two daily 777-300ER flights currently on the route, boosting two -way capacity between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi by 26 per cent. In addition to "The Residence", a private suite including a lounge room, bedroom and bathroom with shower, the Etihad A380 also features its latest generation first class, business class and economy class seats.

Etihad is a shareholder in Virgin Australia and one of the Australian carrier's two alliance partners on flights to Europe, with the other being Singapore Airlines. Rival Qantas Airways has an alliance with Emirates, which in August announced plans to add a second A380 between Melbourne and Dubai, although the flight includes a stop in Singapore.

All of the three major Middle Eastern carriers, which also include Qatar Airways, have announced capacity expansions into the Australian market. Qatar this month said it would begin daily flights between Adelaide and its Doha, Qatar hub from May, becoming the first carrier to announce plans to fly the new A350 aircraft to Australia. Qatar also plans to launch daily flights between Sydney and Doha from March.

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