The Etihad Airways fleet continues to expand, with three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft joining the fleet.
Three new Boeing 787-9s – Image, Etihad Airways
The new aircraft are scheduled for a rather fast integration into the Etihad fleet, with them due to enter service during this month (February). They will be based at the airline’s hub at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport.
They will feature a two-class cabin, with 32 Business Suites and 271 seats in Economy.
The Business cabin features a unique and customised version of the Elements seat manufactured by Collins and Etihad is the first airline in the world to introduce this seat on the Boeing 787, featuring a 78″ flatbed, a 17.3” 4K TV screen, Bluetooth headphone pairing, wireless charging, and multiple charging ports, as well as plenty of storage.
Meanwhile, in Economy Class, lighter seats have been installed, spread across 217 standard seats and 54 Extra Legroom seats with four inches of additional legroom. These in theory provide extra space to passengers, as well as comfort. A 13.3″ 4K touchscreen monitor will be in front of your eyes.
In terms of inflight entertainment, Etihad has chosen the Safran RAVA Ultra system, with the touch screens listed, as well as the ability to pair personal phones and tablets to the screen to use as a remote. Onboard connectivity is provided by Viasat, with its Ka-band network to provide high-speed Wi-Fi with streaming capabilities on board as well as Live TV, including news and sports channels.
Through Etihad’s Wi-Fly, all Etihad Guest members can enjoy complimentary chat packages, while all guests can choose to purchase a full Surf package with unlimited data for the duration of the flight.
In Quotes
Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome these brand-new, state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Abu Dhabi. Their arrival is key to our network expansion strategy and comes at the perfect time as we continue to add multiple new destinations and expand frequencies into key markets.
“These new aircraft support our commitment to Abu Dhabi, allowing us to bring more guests to experience the incredible capital of the UAE, either as their end destination or on a stopover when connecting across our expanding network.”
A busy summer ahead
Etihad Airways is preparing for a busy summer season, with the 787-9s adding capacity where it will be needed.
Etihad will begin flying to Boston, its fourth US gateway, on 31 March, and will add Nairobi and Bali to the network as well as summer routes to Nice, Malaga, Mykonos and Santorini.
The three aircraft will support the Boeing 787-10 received in October 2023, as the airline continues to drive its expansion after a long contraction period.
In total, Etihad now operates 43 Dreamliners and a total fleet of 88 aircraft including the Airbus A380, A350, A320 family, and Boeing 777. For the summer operation they have planned, they’re going to need them to deploy across their network.
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