An Etihad Jumbo Hasn’t Landed on Time to Tokyo in Six Weeks, and Nobody Knows Why

Etihad’s daily Airbus A380 from Abu Dhabi to Tokyo Narita has not arrived on time since September 12, One Mile at a Time reported on October 25, a streak of 42 days. Flight EY800 departs at 10:10 PM and is scheduled to arrive at 1:30 PM the next day, a block time of 10 hours 20 minutes over 5,035 miles.

The numbers cited from FlightStats show the flight on time about 7% of the time, with an average delay of more than 90 minutes. Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft landing between 1 hour 5 minutes and 2 hours 5 minutes late for 12 consecutive days, not counting taxi time at Narita.

No cause has been confirmed. The author considers and largely dismisses several explanations: a late inbound aircraft is unlikely because the A380 reaches Abu Dhabi hours before departure, air traffic control seems improbable because other flights on the same corridors leave on time, and waiting for connecting passengers is suspected but unproven. The reverse flight, EY801, runs close to on time.

For travelers, the lesson is practical rather than dramatic. If you are connecting onward in Tokyo, build in extra time, and check flight status before leaving for the airport. Etihad has not been quoted in the report, so an official explanation may still come.

Sources: One Mile at a Time, One Mile at a Time (latest news)