Etihad Airways opens the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with an air show

Etihad Airways performed a low-altitude (500 feet) flyover over the Yas Marina Circuit, providing a powerful start to the 2025 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. An inspiring visual spectacle and a race-day tradition, this aerial spectacle has become the iconic moment before the official start of the final race in the region’s largest weekend of sports and entertainment.

The giant Airbus (super jumbo) was accompanied by a group of Al Fursan air show team’s aircraft, which painted smoke lines in the sky in red, green and black, in honor of the colors of the UAE flag.

This air show was led by a group of senior Etihad pilots: Captain Adel Al-Zubaidi (flight commander), Captain Azizan bin Othman, Captain Harris Kinegos, and Captain Abdullah Al-Afifi. The Airbus A380 crew executed this air pass with great precision at sunset, precisely when the Yas Marina Circuit transitioned from natural sunset lighting to bright flood lighting.

In his comment, Captain Adel Al Zubaidi said: “Yas Marina Circuit is truly amazing from above, and we realize that tens of thousands of people are watching this moment. It is a great honor to fly over the ring immediately after the playing of the national anthem, a moment that embodies the greatness of representing the UAE before the eyes of the world. “It is a truly exceptional feeling.”

This review marks Captain Al Zubaidi’s eighth participation in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He also led the first air show in the race’s history in 2009, when he piloted an A340 in Etihad’s colors to inaugurate this annual tradition.

For his part, Eric Dee, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix represents one of the most exciting times in Abu Dhabi, attracting thousands of international visitors from all over the world. Air traffic over the Yas Marina Circuit is a tradition that Etihad began with the holding of the first race in Abu Dhabi in 2009, and today we are honored to see the Etihad logo flying over this amazing track, accompanied by the professional aircraft of the Emirates Knights.”