Etihad Airways has announced that it will launch daily A380 service betweeh Abu Dhabi and Melbourne on June 1, 2016.
The flagship superjumbo will operate flights EY460/461, one of the airline’s twice daily Abu Dhabi-Melbourne services. It will replace one of the three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently deployed on the route.
The move will allow Melbourne-bound passengers the chance to sample The Residence by Etihad, the airline's private three-room sky suite, as well as Etihad's recently revamped cabins.
The new A380 will also increase the total number of two-way seats on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route by 26 percent to more than 11,500 seats per week.
Within Australia and to New Zealand, Etihad Airways codeshares on Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand flights from Melbourne to Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Christchurch, Coffs Harbour, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Kalgoorlie, Launceston, Mildura, Newcastle, Perth, Queenstown, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, and Wellington.
The daily flight schedule, effective June 1, 2016, is as follows:
| Flight No. | Origin | Destination | Departs | Arrives | Aircraft | Frequency |
| EY460 | Abu Dhabi | Melbourne | 9:45 p.m. | 5:20 p.m. the next day | A380 | Daily |
| EY461 | Melbourne | Abu Dhabi | 10:40 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. the next day | A380 | Daily |
| EY462 | Abu Dhabi | Melbourne | 10:30 a.m. | 6:05 a.m. the next day | B777 | Daily |
| EY463 | Melbourne | Abu Dhabi | 3:00 p.m. | 11:05 p.m. | B777 | Daily |