Etihad Airways confirmed on October 26 that an Airbus A380-800 had landed in Bangkok for the first time, the carrier's first service to Thailand with the double-decker aircraft. Flight-tracking data showed the 11-year-old aircraft, registered A6-APD, arriving at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport at 07:20 local time on October 25 after a flight of about five and a half hours from Abu Dhabi Zayed Airport, as the first of a daily A380 service between the two cities.
Etihad announced in February 2026 that the Abu Dhabi–Bangkok route would be operated by its largest aircraft, with the new service starting as the winter travel season begins and aimed at strong travel demand between Thailand, the Middle East and Europe. The chief executive described the Bangkok arrival as an important milestone, said Thailand is an important premium market for the airline, and said deploying the flagship aircraft would add capacity and strengthen connections through Abu Dhabi. The aircraft offers a three-room suite product, nine first-class private suites, 70 business-class seats and 415 economy-class seats.