Etihad Airways has received its very first Airbus A321LR aircraft, and it’s set to take to the skies sooner than you might think - this development marks a huge milestone in the airline’s fleet expansion strategy.

The airline currently serves 120+ destinations, with a range of popular destinations in Europe. See our Etihad Airways Business Class Deal to Europe, which includes fares from $7,476 on flights between Melbourne and Zurich. Contact an Airfare Specialist for more information.

You can also read about our experience with Etihad's Business Class in our review.

What can we expect?

The highly anticipated aircraft (said to be the first of 30) introduces premium widebody comforts on short and medium-haul flights for the first time in Etihad’s history. The A321LR is the first single-aisle product in Etihad’s fleet to feature proper First-Class cabins and fully flat beds in Business Class. With a three-cabin layout, the aircraft hosts herringbone-style Business Class seats with direct aisle access for passengers.

First Class Suites with privacy doors, fully flat beds, and 20-inch 4K screens make this product the airline’s most upscale single-aisle experience to date. The A321LR also has high-speed in-flight connectivity powered by Viasat, which means passengers can stream, game, and work seamlessly in the sky - this provides travellers with browsing feeds said to rival those on the ground.

Antonoaldo Neves (Etihad Airways CEO) said, “This marks an extraordinary moment for Etihad as we welcome an aircraft that changes everything we thought possible on a single-aisle plane. The A321LR enables us to serve more destinations with the same premium experience our guests expect across all cabins, perfectly embodying our commitment to delivering luxury at every altitude.”

What are the new routes?

The new aircraft supports the airline’s previously shared 2030 vision. Through which they aim to serve 38 million passengers annually and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a global aviation hub!

The product will commence service on 1 August 2025, making its debut on the Abu Dhabi to Phuket route. This will be followed by a series of international destinations, such as the following:

• Algiers
• Bangkok
• Chiang Mai
• Copenhagen
• Düsseldorf
• Kolkata
• Krabi
• Krakow
• Medan
• Milan
• Paris
• Phnom Penh
• Phuket
• Tunis
• Zurich

This long-range aircraft allows Etihad to expand its services into several new destinations that were inaccessible to them via smaller planes. This will assist Etihad in their ‘aggressive’ expansion plans, in which 27 new routes were launched or announced in the last 12 months alone. A further 9 A321LR aircrafts are said to be expected before the end of the year.

We’re looking forward to this new product and hope to see it come to Australia in the future! If you would like to fly on this new aircraft, visit the Etihad Airways Business Class to Europe or contact an Airfare Specialist for more information.