Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, celebrated the arrival of its award-winning Airbus A380 service at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), welcoming and thanking guests travelling on the first flights between two of the world’s top travel destinations.

The event marked the US debut of the airline’s exclusive A380 service, including The Residence by Etihad, claimed to be the only commercially available three-room suite in the sky, luxurious First apartments, comfortable Business studios and Economy smart seats. The A380 now serves guests travelling on one of the airline’s two daily flights between Abu Dhabi and New York.

“The arrival of our A380 service at JFK International Airport is an important milestone for Etihad Airways as we respond to increased demand from our guests travelling between Abu Dhabi and New York and it represents the significant growth our airline has undergone in just 12 years of operation,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and CEO.

The introduction of the airline’s signature A380 travel experience comes just in time for the busy holiday travel season, as well as to serve guests travelling to the 2015 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place from Nov. 27 to 29.

The Residence by Etihad is exclusive to Etihad Airways’ fleet of A380s, which currently serve London’s Heathrow, Sydney and now New York’s JFK, with services to Mumbai and Melbourne scheduled to begin on May 1 and June 1 June, respectively.

Guests on all Etihad Airways flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) to the airline’s six US ports of entry, including New York’s JFK Airport, are processed through the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Preclearance facility, which allows them to clear all US immigration and customs checks in Abu Dhabi and arrive at their US destination as domestic passengers.