Etihad Airways: Wide-body flair in narrow-body jets

Etihad Airways is equipping its new Airbus A321LR with a First Class cabin. This is remarkable, as narrow-body aircraft almost never offer this type of seating. However, the airline is pursuing ambitious plans.

With its newly acquired Airbus A321LRs, the Abu Dhabi-based airline is clearly differentiating itself from the competition. The narrow-body aircraft not only boast a business class, but also offer an exclusive first class. This means the airline aims to impress with wide-body comfort on short- and medium-haul routes. The investment is part of Etihad's ambitious "Journey 2030" growth strategy, which envisions tripling passenger numbers, doubling the fleet, and expanding the number of destinations to over 125.

Beds for Business Class

In the two First Class Suites, passengers enjoy a private space with a sliding door, a flat bed, a raised dining area, and custom storage. There's also space for a companion and a 50-centimeter 4K screen for entertainment, Bluetooth pairing, and wireless charging.

The new Business Class features wide-body seats, all forward-facing with direct aisle access (1-1) in a herringbone layout and 14 fully flat beds (approx. 198 cm). Each seat also features a 4K screen (approx. 44 cm), Bluetooth headphone pairing, wireless charging, and ample storage space.

In economy class, 144 seats offer up to 12.7 centimeters of recline, improved ergonomics, and generous space. At almost 47 centimeters wide, this is one of the widest economy seats in the industry, on par with the economy seats on wide-body aircraft.

Etihad's first A321LR will enter service on August 1, 2025. The fleet will be expanded by ten aircraft this year. The aircraft will fly from Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi to destinations including Algiers, Athens, Bangkok, Chennai, Chiang Mai, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Kolkata, Krabi, Medan, Milan, Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Riyadh, Tunis, and Zurich.

(thy)

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