It’s a big day for Etihad Airways, as the airline has just unveiled the details of what passengers can expect onboard brand new Airbus A321LR aircraft. This plane will be a game changer for Etihad in terms of the routes that it opens up. The interior of the plane looks awesome, with some quirks.
Let’s start with some background on the aircraft, where it will fly, and then talk about the passenger experience. Separately, the airline has announced plans to improve its first class experience.
In this post:
Etihad has 20 Airbus A321LRs on order
Etihad Airways has 20 Airbus A321LRs on order, which are expected to be delivered starting in the coming weeks. Etihad is also taking delivery of these planes pretty quickly, as the airline should have at least 10 of the swanky narrow body jets in its fleet before the end of the year.
These are the only factory fresh narrow body aircraft that the Abu Dhabi-based carrier has on order. For those not familiar, the A321 is the largest variant of the A320-family of aircraft. And the “LR” version offers extra range. There’s the standard A321ceo, then there’s the A321neo (with more range), then there’s the A321LR (with even more range), and then there’s the A321XLR (with the most range). As you can tell, Etihad chose the second longest range version of the jet, so we’ll talk more about why in a bit.
For some background, Etihad’s fleet strategy has completely changed over time. A decade ago, Etihad wanted to become the size of Emirates, and ordered basically every type of plane on planet earth. After losing many billions of dollars, the airline changed course, and tried to shrink into profitability. Now that this has been accomplished, the airline is once again trying to grow, but in a more sustainable way.
My point is simply to say that it can be hard to keep track of Etihad’s fleet plans. For example, according to Boeing, Etihad still has 25 Boeing 777Xs on order, while according to Etihad’s CEO, these contracts have been restructured, and that’s no longer the case.
Similarly, in 2013, Etihad placed an order for 26 Airbus A321neos, but the airline didn’t end up taking delivery of any of those jets, at least not new. Instead, Etihad recently acquired six used A321neos, which briefly flew for Bamboo Airways. So it would appear that the A321neo order was ultimately restructured to instead be for a smaller number of A321LRs.
Where Etihad will fly its Airbus A321LRs
As mentioned above, it’s interesting how Etihad chose the Airbus A321LR over the longer range A321XLR variant. This decision was ultimately for good reason. The A321LR has roughly 4,000 nautical miles of range, and that’s more than sufficient for the destinations that Etihad wants to serve with this aircraft, given the Middle East’s central location for such large population centers.
For example, below is the 4,000 nautical mile range from Abu Dhabi. This covers virtually all of Europe, Asia, and Africa, which is where the airline intends to fly these aircraft. Admittedly the range is a bit less than shown below, since you need to factor in headwinds, fuel reserves, etc.
Etihad’s strategy with the Airbus A321LR seems to be as follows:
- For one, Etihad wants to fly the A321LR in “thinner” markets, where the demand might not be there for a wide body aircraft to offer daily service, but where a narrow body aircraft could make sense
- Second, the airline plans to use this to add second or third daily flights to some destinations, in order to beef up its schedule, and offer more connectivity
The Airbus A321LR should enter service as of August 2025. Etihad plans to open up new routes with the aircraft, adding service from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to places like Algiers (ALG), Chiang Mai (CNX), Copenhagen (CPH), Hanoi (HAN), Krabi (KBV), Phnom Penh (PNH), Tunis (TUN), and more. On top of that, the airline plans to increase frequencies to destinations like Athens (ATH), Bangkok (BKK), Milan (MXP), and Zurich (ZRH).
What to expect onboard Etihad’s Airbus A321LRs
What should passengers expect onboard Etihad’s factory fresh Airbus A321LRs? For the first time ever, Etihad will install a long haul-style product onboard its narrow body aircraft. Etihad’s A321LRs will have a total of 160 seats, comprised of:
- Two fully flat first class seats, in a 1-1 configuration
- 14 fully flat business class seats, in a 1-1 configuration
- 144 economy class seats, in a 3-3 configuration
First and business class will consist of reverse herringbone seats, which is a nice contrast to the herringbone seats that you’ll find on many other narrow body operators, like in JetBlue Mint. These seats are based on the STELIA Aerospace OPERA seating platform, the same you’ll find on ITA Airways’ A321neos.
First class will look a whole lot like “business class plus” on other airlines. It’s not a separate cabin, and doesn’t have a dedicated lavatory, but instead just consists of the two seats at the bulkhead. The first class suites have doors, 20″ 4K screens for entertainment, bluetooth audio pairing, wireless charging, and a space for a companion to sit.
Business class seats are pretty standard reverse herringbone seats, but don’t have doors. Seats convert into 78″ fully flat beds, and have 17.3″ 4K screens, bluetooth audio pairing, and wireless charging. The decision not to install doors was deliberate, to keep down the weight of the aircraft, and maximize range. That’s an interesting decision, given the competitive landscape.
Economy class offers personal entertainment at each seat, in the form of 13.3″ 4K screens, and USB charging.
Throughout the aircraft, Etihad will offer Viasat Wi-Fi for connectivity, which offers good speeds (though isn’t complimentary, except in first class).
All-in-all, this looks like a nice jet that will serve an important purpose for Etihad. I find some of the decisions a bit puzzling, like calling the front row seats first class, and not having doors in business class, but those are minor in the scheme of things.
Etihad getting narrow body jets with flat beds is a fantastic development, if you ask me. Currently, Etihad’s narrow body aircraft are operated almost exclusively on shorter flights, and really have quite an uncompetitive product in both cabins. On some routes, Etihad operates both narrow body and wide body aircraft, and the difference is night and day. So I’m happy to see the airline will be offering more of a long haul experience on these jets.
Bottom line
Etihad will be nicely elevating its narrow body passenger experience in the coming months, when Airbus A321LRs join the carrier’s fleet. Etihad plans to install 160 seats on these planes, including two first class seats, 14 business class seats, and 144 economy seats.
The airplane will have reverse herringbone seats in first and business class, with first class seats having doors. The plane will offer improved tech, from Viasat Wi-Fi throughout the jet, to bluetooth audio and wireless charging in premium cabins.
What do you make of Etihad’s Airbus A321LRs?
For me the value in F on this plane is simply for connecting flights. Yeah, not worth paying any sort of premium for F vs J on the single segment, but if I just got off JFK-AUH in an A380 apartment it is nice to connect onto a slightly differentiated seat for the onward flight to wherever rather than J, which is what happens currently.
"The decision not to install doors was deliberate, to keep down the weight of the aircraft, and maximize range. That’s an interesting decision, given the competitive landscape."
That's the RATIONAL decision. The door thing makes ZERO sense.
They add weight, complexity, and additional certifications. And they don't actually offer "privacy," unless you're trying to hide from midgets. It really seems to be a fad, and nothing more.
Agreed. They're extremely silly and only add claustrophobia, especially on narrow fuselage planes like the 787 (must be even worse on the A321)
I'm curious to see if they price the A321 flights lower in markets that they already serve with a proper jumbo jet. For the vast majority of metrics, flying on a narrow body is not as good an experience as a wide body.
If they do, this could lead to creative routings with relatively cheap F fares.
They won't.
Most travelers don't know the type of plane they're on.
Enter a fully loaded A320 or B737 and quiz all passengers, 75% might not be able to identify if it's a Boeing or airbus.
90% won't know/understand the comfort difference.
@ZEPHYR
AeroB13a would dislike that the fact you stated.
@ZEPHYR the high-revenue flyers all do know, either themselves or their travel agent ("never book me again on a plane like the one I just flew in).
Enough people know the difference that existing similar routes charge more for the wide body. Look at routes in North America where most frequencies are narrow body, and 1-2 are wide body. The business class cabin will be several times more expensive.
Hi Ben,
I was at the press conference and heard both the really good Etihad management team of their CEO and CCO. They basically mentioned during the Q & A that there would be further introductions of the First product as they launch the 1B USD cabin refurbishment program from next year, beginning with the 777 and then the 787.
They also said that the idea of selling F class was simple. Unlike...
Hi Ben,
I was at the press conference and heard both the really good Etihad management team of their CEO and CCO. They basically mentioned during the Q & A that there would be further introductions of the First product as they launch the 1B USD cabin refurbishment program from next year, beginning with the 777 and then the 787.
They also said that the idea of selling F class was simple. Unlike other airlines that are calling it J+, Etihad DNA has had a history of selling F, and they have onground experience and soft products already ready for F. This allows them to go to new markets and also to provide connecting markets with a seamless F product.
After hearing it, I think this is the right choice for them to go. Of course, only time will tell.
Economy seats are 18.4" wide that has to be among the widest in economy class.
But if they're not clearly wider than any other A320 economy seat (by shrinking the narrow aisle even further), that's probably just playing the numbers game and measuring including the armrest space.
18.4" economy seats is more than possible (without including the armrest)
The aisle just have to go down from 19"/20" to about 17.5" to make it work.
Note 10-abreast B777 and 9-abreast B787 all have 17" wide aisle.
My guess is that they didn't install doors in business class to improve product differentiation from first class.
Otherwise, the gap is smaller and it becomes a Mint Studio vs Mint Suite situation, and they can only charge business class plus prices.
This. It feels obvious that the F is essentially J+ from a hard product view. Give the regular J doors and it's that much harder to sell the "F".
It looks like the onboard difference is just "doors plus better catering". That's not a lot for the massive premium they're going to charge. The ground service is quite nice, but they are an *airline*
I honestly don’t understand the obsession with doors in Business class but then I also prefer hearingbone to reverse hearingbone seats
My observations over the years extroverts and social/nosey individuals like the no door/herringbone configuration, introverts/private people enjoy, doors and window views that offer as much privacy as possible.
Given the desire to keep weight down / range up, why not introduce PY on the A321LR? Interesting that EY has no PY product more generall.y
Same with QR (in terms of PY).
Was expecting more from their First Class seat. A missed opportunity to do something industry leading.
For a narrowbody
That's an investment that cannot be justified. With only 2 seats per plane.