Etihad’s much-anticipated A380 arrived in Sydney last week, beginning a new era of luxury travel on the Sydney-Abu Dhabi and Sydney-London routes.

Sydney Airport is the first and only airport in Australia and one of only two destinations in the world to welcome Etihad’s new flagship A380 service.

The new daily A380 service, together with an upgraded service for the airline’s other four weekly flights, will increase the total number of two-way seats on the route by 30 per cent to 9,568 seats per week.

The Sunshine State welcomed the touch-down of the luxury airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner service in Brisbane this week, and the commencement of daily non-stop flights between Brisbane and Abu Dhabi.

Brisbane is one of the first five destinations in the world to welcome the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner - one of the most technologically advanced aircraft in its class.

Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said the decision by Etihad Airways to deploy both its Airbus A380 and the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft on two key Australian routes was a great outcome for inbound tourism and demonstrates the airline’s commitment to the Australian market.

“Through their strong global footprint, particularly within Europe and their global alliances, Etihad Airways is now one of Tourism Australia's most important aviation partners, playing a critical role feeding traffic to Australia's key international gateways,” O’Sullivan said.