AeroTime
• Ian Molyneaux
Etihad Airways has brought its last Airbus A380 held in long-term storage back to Abu Dhabi from Tarbes, France. The return of A6-APB restores the carrier’s superjumbo fleet to full strength after the final aircraft was sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Airbus
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Etihad Airways has brought its last Airbus A380 held in long-term storage back to Abu Dhabi from Tarbes, France. The return of A6-APB restores the carrier’s superjumbo fleet to full strength after the final aircraft was sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boeing faces a multiyear challenge to close Airbus’ delivery lead, with the outcome hinging on production recovery, supply-chain execution and sustained demand. The competitive balance through 2030 will shape OEM market share, airline fleet planning and the pace of new-aircraft capacity entering service.
High activity
Airbus’ ZEROe research program is among 19 projects selected to share €290 million in the European Union’s penultimate Clean Aviation funding round, providing additional support for the development of lower-emission aircraft technologies and advancing Europe’s broader aviation decarbonization agenda.
High activity
Hisdesat has contracted Airbus to build SpainSat NG-III, replacing SpainSat NG-II and completing Spain’s secure communications architecture. The award underscores continued European investment in sovereign satellite communications infrastructure and follows broader regional activity around secure connectivity networks.
Etihad Airways unveiled a new A330neo cabin featuring four first-class suites and a new business-class seat as it expands premium service across shorter routes. The airline will also introduce its “Beyond Borders” lounge concept at a transformed London Heathrow facility beginning in summer 2027.
Aeroflot plans to keep Boeing and Airbus narrowbody aircraft in service through 2030-35, signaling continued reliance on its existing Western-built fleet. The timeline makes fleet replacement, maintenance, parts availability and network planning longer-term considerations for Russia’s flag carrier.
Airbus is installing a new flight-test instrumentation station on its A350 freighter, adapting equipment previously used on the long-range A350-1000ULR. The move comes as test crews use simulations to prepare for the A350F’s first flight and the start of its flight-test campaign.
American Airlines is dealing with malfunctioning business-class seats aboard its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft. While seat breakdowns are common in airline operations, the reported failures are drawing attention because they affect a premium cabin on a newly introduced long-range narrowbody, with the underlying cause still unclear.
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