Abu Dhabi's Etihad considers future without A380, A350 jets: Sources

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is planning to lay off 1,200 employees as it considers permanently grounding its Airbus A380s and never operating the A350s it has ordered, company and industry sources said. The state-owned carrier is reviewing its fleet strategy after the coronavirus pandemic hit travel demand, which Etihad’s management expects will take years to recover, two sources said. Etihad may retire its 10 A380s early with them potentially never returning to service after the virus outbreak grounded the airline’s passenger flights in March, the sources said. Etihad started flying the A380 relatively recently, taking delivery of its first aircraft in 2014 and its most recent one in 2017. The Airbus superjumbo had come into commercial service in 2007. Etihad is also considering whether to operate the A350-1000, the sources said. They said the airline was expected to make a decision on the fate of the two Airbus wide-bodies soon.<br/>