Etihad Airways has taken delivery of its second A380 and will operate it on its Abu Dhabi to Heathrow route from May 1.
The announcement means that two of the airline’s three daily flights to London will be operated by the A380 – the airline has a further eight on order.
The new A380 will operate flights EY19/20 — EY19 departs Abu Dhabi at 0835 and arrives at LHR at 1305, while EY20 leaves Heathrow at 1505 and lands in Abu Dhabi at 0100 the next day.
Etihad next plans to fly the superjumbo to Sydney in June, followed by a third daily A380 service to London Heathrow in August, and a service to New York JFK in December.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad's CCO, said: "By August of 2015, all three daily flights on this flagship route will be operated by the A380, offering our guests unparalleled luxury and superior in-flight technology.
"In June, the third A380 will be introduced on one of our two daily services from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, offering a seamless, one-stop connection via Abu Dhabi to and from London on this innovative aircraft type."
Etihad's A380 contains a Residence by Etihad three-room suite, with a living room, ensuite shower room, bedroom and dedicated butler, and nine First Apartments, each featuring a reclining lounge chair and an ottoman and opens up to become a separate 80.5-inch fully-flat bed. It also has 70 business class seats and 417 economy seats.