After months of speculation, Etihad Airways announced today that they will officially bring back their Airbus A380 planes to the sky in 2023. But don’t count on finding these mammoth planes equipped with the excellent Etihad Apartments flying to and from the U.S. – at least not initially.

Etihad grounded all 10 of its signature double-decker jets more than two years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with its CEO regularly signaling they were unlikely to ever fly again. But the rapid bounce-back in travel has forced several airlines to pull their biggest planes out of the desert, including Etihad.

The airline confirmed Friday it will resume flying four of its Airbus A380s starting in the summer of 2023, exclusively between its Abu Dhabi (AUH) hub and London-Heathrow (LHR). By October 2023, the airline expects all four daily frequencies between the two cities will fly on the so-called Whale Jet.

Etihad’s schedules show the A380 is currently set to make its return on July 15, 2023.

That’s a long-awaited development for aviation geeks with bucket lists, as these spacious first class seats are widely viewed as among the best in the world….