Etihad Airways has big plans to update the interiors of much of its wide body fleet. However, as of now there are more questions than answers.
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Etihad investing in updating existing aircraft interiors
Etihad has revealed plans to update the interiors of much of its fleet, in a project that’s expected to cost $700-750 million. With this, the Abu Dhabi-based airline is expected to make updates to its fleet of Boeing 777s, Boeing 787s, and Airbus A380s:
- Etihad has a fleet of nine Boeing 777-300ERs, which are an average of around 14 years old; these were supposed to be retired during the pandemic, but were brought back, as the airline is looking to grow
- Etihad has a fleet of 41 Boeing 787s, comprised of 32 787-9s and nine 787-10s, which are an average of around six years old
- Etihad has a fleet of seven Airbus A380s, which are an average of around nine years old; these were supposed to be retired, but were also brought back
As of now, Etihad is light on details as to what we can expect from these retrofits. The expectation is that the 777s will get the most significant retrofits, followed by the 787s, followed by the A380s. So while 777s will likely get all-new cabins, A380s might just get more cosmetic updates. The amount being spent on updating planes is substantial, so there should be some very nice improvements.
Unfortunately the timeline for most of these changes hasn’t been revealed, other than that 777s are supposed to be retrofitted as of 2026. So patience will be required.
Etihad has absolutely massive growth plans. The airline currently has under 100 aircraft, but wants to have 170 planes by 2030. So while the airline hopes to retire older jets, delivery delays are causing the airline to instead invest more in the existing fleet.
What should we expect from Etihad’s updated cabins?
Since Etihad hasn’t shared how it will update its cabins, all we can do is speculate. For context, it’s worth considering that Etihad currently has two types of new business class seats that it’s installing on jets.
Etihad is continuing to add Airbus A350-1000s to its fleet, and all of these planes feature Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats with doors. These seats are comfortable, and the A350 is a pleasure to fly in general.
Etihad is also adding Boeing 787-9s to its fleet, and the newest of these planes feature Collins Aerospace Elements seats, which is one of the two cutting edge business class products nowadays, I’d say.
Etihad only introduced this product for jets delivered as of early 2024, so aircraft delivered previously feature the carrier’s staggered product, which is different.
With that in mind, I think it’s highly likely that Etihad’s 777s will get one of the two new business class products, and I’d say that the Elements product is probably most likely. Those planes need a full refresh, from the nose to the tail.
It’s interesting that Etihad is investing in its existing 787s, since they still have a pretty competitive product. If Etihad actually does install a new business class — which I suspect the airline will, based on the amount being spent on new interiors — then it would be logical for the airline to go for consistency, and install the Elements product.
Personally I don’t think we’ll see a full new refresh of the A380s cabins, but rather just some minor updates. Part of the issue is that the A380 upper deck fuselage isn’t that wide, so many of the best business class products can’t be installed there. I certainly could be wrong, though.
Here’s another interesting question, in my mind — which direction will Etihad go with first class? Currently Etihad has first class on its Airbus A380s, as well as on only five Boeing 787-9s. If the airline is going to reconfigure aircraft interiors, it has some choices to make:
- I think it’s a given that the A380s will keep first class, so will the airline shrink its first class footprint, and make it exclusive to that jet?
- Will the airline also keep first class on a small subfleet of aircraft, with a handful of 787s continuing to have some sort of first class?
- Will Etihad grow its first class footprint, and maybe add it to more 787s?
Bottom line
Etihad is investing close to a billion dollars in updating the interiors of many of its existing jets. The expectation is that Boeing 777s, Boeing 787s, and Airbus A380s, will all be getting new interiors. Exact details are limited as of now, though with the amount being spent, expect substantial changes.
The biggest improvements should come to the 777, where they’re also most overdue. For me the big question is what will be changed about the 787 and A380 interiors, since they’re still quite nice.
What are you expecting from Etihad’s plans to retrofit aircraft?
There's an error with how many 777s Etihad has - while the airline does have 14 777s in total, but five of them are freighters.
True..14 includes the 5 freighters
I would hope they grow their first class footprint. For S. Africa trips, I always use Emirates, Lufthansa, and SWISS, but I would consider Etihad if they offered a competitive first class product the entire way (they only fly biz. on AUH-JNB/CPT and v.v.). I dropped AF for that reason already on the S. Africa routes.
@TravelinWilly The problem is a lot of people want to fly F, they just don't want to pay for it. Most people lon travel blogs expect to be able to snag an F ticket with points or buying a deeply discounted upgrade from J to F.
I know, and I get it. All my int'l travel is in FC; some is cash, some is points, but the majority is actually cash these days.
More people need to start paying cash for FC so it's available on more carriers on more routes! :) /s
I wish I could but I ain't got that cash.
It's not that people don't want to pay for it. They can't pay for it.
A RT ticket in F on these carriers is easily 20k+.
99% of the population doesn't have that much disposable income.
The whole reason why award travel exists is so that people can get a taste of what it's like, even if they can't afford it on the regular.
Airlines adapt based on demand. If not enough people can afford F on routes, then yes, it'll go away.
Ben, if you want to review the new CX Aria Suites while you're in Asia, looks like first flight is going to be CX 331/332 on 10/18