Back in March this year we reported on Etihad’s plans to increase frequencies on its Singapore – Abu Dhabi route to twice daily, using Boeing 787-9 aircraft with both a morning and evening departure timing from the Lion City, boosting capacity on the route by 73%.

Flights were loaded for sale from mid-December 2024, but recently the second flight was removed from the schedule, with the airline looking set to retain a single daily service after all.

That was disappointing news since another long-haul flight option to and from Changi Airport was welcome, but it turns out the Middle East carrier had bigger plans up its sleeve, and today it has announced them.

Singapore to get the Etihad Airbus A380

Instead of going double daily with the Boeing 787-9, Etihad has now revealed that it will deploy its 486-seater Airbus A380 on the Singapore – Abu Dhabi route, effective from February 2025.

“Today marks Singapore National Day and Etihad Airways is delighted to announce it will start flying its A380 double-decker to Singapore from 1 February, 2025.”

Etihad Airways, 9th August 2024

This will be the first time the airline has deployed its Airbus A380s to Singapore, and will make it the fifth carrier to operate regular superjumbo services to and from Changi Airport, joining Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Emirates and British Airways.

“We are thrilled to announce that our iconic A380 aircraft will begin serving the Singapore route early next year.

“This aircraft provides our business and leisure travellers with an exceptional flying experience and seamless connections to our Middle East, European, and North American networks. It highlights Etihad’s dedication to optimising travel to Abu Dhabi and beyond, ensuring more convenience and comfort for our guests.

“We will have our sixth A380 online next year as we build our capacity further to cater for the travel needs of our guests.”

Antonoaldo Neves, CEO, Etihad

Etihad originally planned to retire its 10-strong Airbus A380 fleet during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has already reintroduced four of the type to service following a buoyant recovery in travel demand.

Currently these aircraft serve London (twice daily) and New York.

Paris will also receive Etihad A380s from November this year, as a fifth superjumbo comes back online, with Singapore the fourth city on the list from February 2025, confirming that even more of the type will also be reactivated from storage.

The schedule

Etihad offers a single daily flight to and from Singapore, which currently uses a Boeing 787-10 aircraft departing from Abu Dhabi in the evening for a morning arrival in the Lion City.

The aircraft then spends all day on the ground at Changi Airport, before returning to Abu Dhabi that night, to meet the most optimal connection ‘banks’ in both directions through the carrier’s hub.

Flights will shift to the Boeing 777-300ER later this year, before upgauging significantly to the Airbus A380 from February 2025, with the same timings as shown below.

Singapore Abu Dhabi
From 2nd February 2025

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	EY499 A380
SIN 19:25		AUH 23:20
Duration: 07:55

Abu Dhabi Singapore
From 1st February 2025

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	EY496 A380
AUH 22:05		SIN 09:35*
Duration: 07:30

* Next day

The Airbus A380 remains deployed on this route until the end of Etihad’s published schedule in June 2025, so this looks to be a permanent addition.

Etihad flights use Terminal 2 at Singapore Changi Airport, with the airline directing lounge-eligible passengers to the SATS facility in that terminal.

In Abu Dhabi, Etihad’s brand new lounges in the recently-opened Terminal A are available for departing and transit passengers, with complimentary access for those in eligible cabin classes or with sufficient frequent flyer status, or paid access for others.

Etihad’s A380 cabin products

Etihad’s Airbus A380s are in a four-class configuration:

• 2: ‘The Residence’
• 9: First Class
• 70: Business Class
• 405: Economy Class
• 486 Total

The news of Airbus A380 deployment on this route means Singapore customers will be able to book ‘The Residence’, and the Airbus A380 First Class ‘Apartments’, for the first time.

‘The Residence’ is the only three-room suite on a commercial aircraft, accommodating up to two passengers across a living room, bedroom and private ensuite bathroom, in what Etihad calls “the pinnacle of comfort”.

You can upgrade from First Class to ‘The Residence’ on Etihad A380 flights using cash or Etihad Guest miles, but be warned – it doesn’t come cheap. Rates from Abu Dhabi to London start at 300,000 miles or around US$3,000, and the Singapore route is likely to be no different.

In the main First Class cabin, the Etihad A380 has nine ‘Apartments’, some of which can be combined with an adjacent suite to form a double bed.

First Class ‘Apartments’ also feature a separate seat and bed, not unlike SIA’s A380 Suites.

At the time of writing, Etihad is not loading any cash fares or award space in any cabins other than Economy Class and Business Class on these new A380 Singapore flights, but that should be changing in the days and weeks ahead, so keep an eye out for possible redemption opportunities.

Speaking of Business Class, these A380s have the carrier’s older ‘Business Studio’ product installed, with alternating forward and rear facing seats.

The benefit of the A380 in Business Class over the Boeing 787 is the Lobby Lounge, where you can stretch your legs, grab a drink and relax on the sofas.

Award redemptions

Here’s an example of award pricing with various frequent flyer programmes if you’re heading from Singapore to Abu Dhabi on Etihad.

Etihad Singapore to Abu Dhabi
FFP	Economy	Business	First
Etihad Guest	30,000* +S$164	70,000* +S$388	120,000* +S$388
Flying Blue	23,000 +S$164	45,500 +S$300	n/a
AAdvantage	25,000 +S$64	40,000 +S$64	n/a
Aeroplan	40,000 +S$104	60,000 +S$104	80,000 +S$104

* Starting rate for GuestSeat, can be higher

As you can see, taxes and charges can be substantial for Etihad redemptions with some programmes, most notably with Etihad Guest itself in Business Class and First Class, even if you manage to secure one of the GuestSeat (i.e. “saver”) rates.

For a perhaps more useful routing to Europe (e.g. from Singapore to Frankfurt via Abu Dhabi), here’s how the rates look.

Etihad Singapore to Frankfurt (via Abu Dhabi)
FFP	Economy	Business	First
Etihad Guest	60,000* +S$264	140,000* +S$686	140,000* +S$686
AAdvantage	35,000 +S$79	75,000 +S$79	n/a
Flying Blue	48,000 +S$281	89,500 +S$550	n/a
Aeroplan	50,000 +S$119	80,000 +S$119	130,000 +S$119

* Starting rate for GuestSeat, can be higher

Aeroplan is great option for Asia – Europe redemptions on Etihad, at 80,000 miles + S$119 in Business Class, given that most of our readers don’t have a ready stash of AAdvantage miles.

Etihad sometimes offers some competitive cash fares between Asia and Europe, from time to time.

We’ve seen round-trip economy rates as low as S$800 from Singapore to Barcelona and back, for example, with one-way deals for half that – at around S$400.

Etihad is rolling out its four-class Airbus A380 superjumbo on flights to and from Singapore for the first time from February 2025, replacing an initial plan for twice daily Boeing 787-9 operation.

This will bring the carrier’s famous ‘The Residence’ and its First Class ‘Apartments’ to the route, in addition to a better Business Class offering with a bar-style lobby lounge.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on award space for these new flights once it’s loaded in these cabins, since for now the highest class to book or redeem remains Business Class.

Miles redemptions on Etihad aren’t the best value, though last-minute availability tends to be good at certain times of year, and the additional capacity with A380s in play on the Singapore route might improve that further.

(Cover Photo: Airbus)