Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
More than three years have passed since Etihad Airways’ first passenger-carrying Airbus A350-1000
flight, which took place on March 31, 2022, from Abu Dhabi to Paris CDG. Between April and December 2025, the UAE carrier plans to fly the equipment to 10 destinations. Of these, four—Amsterdam, Atlanta, Frankfurt, and Milan Malpensa—have never seen it. It also returns to New York JFK, having last used it there in January 2024.
Etihad Airways
IATA/ICAO Code
EY/ETD
Year Founded
2003
Etihad now has six A350-1000s. Although its first service occurred in March 2022, five of the subfleet were delivered in 2019/2020 but subsequently stored. Flightradar24 shows that the sixth example (registered A6-XWG) arrived in Abu Dhabi from Toulouse on April 11. Like the others, it has 371 seats: 282 in economy (3-3-3), 45 in economy plus (3-3-3), and 44 in business class (1-2-1). A6-XWG entered commercial service on April 15 from Abu Dhabi to Milan, marking the variant’s inaugural flight to the northern Italian city.
Etihad’s A350-1000s Will Fly To 10 Destinations
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
They are summarized below. All information is correct as of April 17 but may change, especially later in the year. According to Cirium Diio, Chicago O’Hare will have the most services in the nine months (273 departures). Its A350s have flown there since June 2022, making it one of the original markets. Notice that Paris CDG—the first destination for Etihad’s A350s—is absent. The type’s flights stopped in October 2024, replaced by Toronto.
Notice Atlanta, a brand-new destination on Etihad’s map, which is bound to make my jam-packed Weekly Routes article. Flights will begin on July 2 and will initially be four weekly. Earlier in 2025, frequencies for the upcoming winter season increased to daily. At 6,622 nautical miles (12,264 km), it will become Etihad’s longest route, beating the current number one, Abu Dhabi to Sydney, served by the A380 and 777-300ER.
Abu Dhabi to…
Etihad’s first A350 flight on…
Planned one-way A350 flights: April-December 2025 (as of April 17)
Amsterdam
June 5, 2025
Daily
Atlanta
July 2, 2025
A brand-new route. Initially four weekly but daily from November
Chicago O’Hare
June 30, 2022
Daily
Delhi
April 30, 2022
Daily (six weekly in August)
Frankfurt
October 1, 2025
Five weekly until October 24 (just 17 departures)
Milan Malpensa
April 15, 2025
Three weekly to daily until October 25 (only one A350 flight in July)
Mumbai
April 1, 2022
Weekly to four weekly, but daily from the end of October
New York JFK
June 30, 2022
It returns on June 24 and runs daily. It replaces the A380, which ends on June 23
Tokyo Narita
January 15, 2024
Returns on May 11; daily (four weekly in July)
Toronto
October 27, 2024
Daily until June 23; Toronto switches to the A380 on June 24
Etihad’s A350s Have Stopped Flying To These Airports
Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock
Analyzing the equipment’s schedules between March 2022 and March 2025 shows it no longer operates at eight airports, as summarized below. Three short links (Cairo, Istanbul, and Jeddah) were probably related to crew training.
The most recent elimination was Zurich, which last saw the A350 between March 2024 and March 2025. During this period, Etihad operated a daily flight to the Swiss city. The 371-seat A350-1000 coexisted with the 327-seat 787-10 and the 290-seat and 303-seat 787-9. Zurich flights will rise to a record double daily during the summer, all on the lower-capacity 787-9 to compensate for the additional flights.
Abu Dhabi to…
When the A350 was used
Bangkok
March 2023-December 2023, and once in March 2024
Cairo
May-June 2022
Dublin
March 2023-March 2024
Istanbul
April-June 2022
Jeddah
April-June 2022, then September-October 2024
London Heathrow
Once in May 2022, then September 2022-July 2023
Paris CDG
Once in March 2022, then July-October 2024
Zurich
March 2024-March 2025
Related
Leaves After Midnight: Iberia’s 1st Red-Eye Flights From Europe To The US
Flights will depart from Madrid at 00:55.
Etihad’s A350s Cover The Most Distance
Photo: Michael Derrer Fuchs | Shutterstock
According to ch-aviation, Etihad has 65 of its own widebodies: 33 787-9s, 10 787-10s, nine 777-300ERs, seven A380s, and six A350-1000s. It also uses A330-200s leased from Wamos to Manila and Rome. Cirium Diio indicates Etihad plans an average of 69 daily departures on widebodies between April and December.
Influenced by its big North American operation, Etihad’s average A350 flight will cover 4,028 nautical miles. Next is the A380 (3,526 nautical miles), 777-300ER (3,134 nautical miles), 787-9 (3,118 nautical miles), A330-200 (3,061 nautical miles), and finally the 787-10 (2,746 nautical miles). The 787-10 is renowned for its high capacity and shorter but substantial range.
