At the Arabian Travel Market, Etihad Airways unveiled the cabin concepts for its upcoming Airbus A321LR, which is to be used on short to medium-haul routes out of Abu Dhabi.
It brings a three-class cabin to the Airbus A321LR – with First, Business and Economy classes.
The Etihad’s A321LR introduces an all-new First Suite – a private, enclosed space with a sliding door, lie-flat bed, elevated dining, and bespoke design touches, with two First Suites installed.
The First Suite offers additional space for a companion to sit as well as a large 20” 4K screen for entertainment, with Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging. Etihad is also planning to invest heavily in its First Class ground product, with this expansion of the network. More is to come.
Moving down the cabin, the new Business cabin features widebody-style seats, all forward-facing with direct aisle access (1-1) in a herringbone layout with 14 fully-flat 78” beds. Each seat includes a 17.3” 4K screen, Bluetooth headphone pairing, wireless charging, and ample personal storage, ensuring a seamless, connected journey.
In the back in Economy Class features, 144 seats which offer up to 5” recline, enhanced ergonomics, and generous space. At 18.4” wide, it’s one of the widest Economy seats in the industry. Every guest enjoys a 13.3” 4K touchscreen, USB charging, and access to Etihad’s next-generation entertainment system.
Connectivity, too
Etihad’s aircraft are equipped with Viasat’s advanced, multi-orbit ready system, which is capable of speeds of up to 1 Gbps, and available from gate-to-gate where permitted. All passengers will have access to streaming, social media, surfing and gaming onboard, in addition to live television throughout the cabin.
In Quotes
Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways, said:
“The A321LR is an amazing aircraft which proves our commitment to luxury, customer experience, and connectivity,” said
“With our new First Suites, 14 lie-flat Business seats with direct-aisle access, and upgraded Economy, we’ve taken the luxury experience which we are famed for on our widebody fleet and adapted it to offer guests the same experience in a single-aisle aircraft – all while keeping them seamlessly connected with superfast, streaming Wi-Fi throughout the journey.
“More broadly, the A321LR marks a transformational moment for Etihad as we accelerate toward our Journey 2030 vision: doubling our fleet size, tripling our passenger numbers, and opening 16 new destinations in 2025 alone.”
A wide deployment
Etihad’s first A321LR enters service on 1 August 2025, with ten aircraft joining the fleet this year.
The aircraft will fly from Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport to destinations including Algiers, Athens, Bangkok, Chennai, Chiang Mai, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Kolkata, Krabi, Medan, Milan, Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Riyadh, Tunis, and Zurich.
With 10 aircraft – that’s one heck of an expansion plan.
At Economy Class and Beyond, we have suspicions of the seat suppliers (with Runway Girl Network confirming it is Stelia Aerospace). Interestingly, Etihad has marketed the front row seats as a First Class product, rather than a Business Plus product (which is how some airlines have marketed the front row of the extra space business class seats), with not a lot of difference, other than space being offered.
We’ll have to see how that plays in the final product, especially as Etihad Airways works on improving its First Class offering.
With more routes than ever offering a First Class service, it will have to be that – not just a seat.
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