Etihad Airways welcomes first A380 flights to the U.S.

The arrival marked the US debut of the airline’s exclusive A380 service, including The Residence by Etihad, the only commercially available three-room suite in the sky.

The A380 now serves guests travelling on one of the airline’s two daily flights between Abu Dhabi and New York.

“The arrival of our A380 service at JFK International Airport is an important milestone for Etihad Airways as we respond to increased demand from our guests travelling between Abu Dhabi and New York and it represents the significant growth our airline has undergone in just 12 years of operation,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways president and CEO.

The introduction of the airline’s signature A380 travel experience comes just in time for the busy holiday travel season, as well as to serve guests travelling to the 2015 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place from November 27th-29th.

The inaugural Abu Dhabi to New York A380 flight EY 103 landed at JFK International Airport yesterday. The return JFK-AUH flight EY102 arrived into Abu Dhabi this afternoon.

The Residence by Etihad is exclusive to Etihad Airways’ fleet of A380s, which currently serve London’s Heathrow, Sydney and now New York’s JFK, with services to Mumbai and Melbourne scheduled to begin on May 1st 2016 and June 1st 2016, respectively.

The airline’s A380 fleet will grow to a total of ten aircraft. Other U.S. airports served by Etihad Airways include Chicago (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington’s D.C. (IAD).