Airbus Updates No.4344

 

Etihad Airways touts 3Q25 debut, first class for A321neo(LR)

Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) plans to configure its A321-200NX(LR)s, due next year, with first and lie-flat business class seats; a first for its narrowbody fleet. The Emirati carrier tentatively aims to debut the type on the Phuket route in August 2025.

Aeroroutes reports the airline plans to operate one of its three daily rotations to Phuket with the new type, replacing the usual B787-9s. The other two rotations will operate with B787-10s. According to Etihad's internet booking engine, the A321neo(LR) will be configured for up to 160 passengers, including two first-class seats, fourteen business class lie-flat seats in a 1-1 configuration, and 144 economy class seats.

"As Etihad Airways advances its ambitious fleet expansion, the airline looks forward to welcoming new aircraft to its fleet next year. As we prepare for their arrival, guests and travel agents may notice these aircraft appearing on select routes in our GDS system. While the specifics of the aircraft, onboard offerings, and their destinations remain under wraps for now, we’re excited to reveal more in the coming months when we officially unveil our enhanced network and product offerings," the carrier's spokesperson told ch-aviation.

Etihad Airways has twenty A321-200NX(LR)s on order from Airbus, placed in 2013 when it was aggressively expanding. The carrier said it would deploy these aircraft on medium- and long-haul routes that are too thin to sustain daily frequencies with widebodies.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows that despite years of restructuring, Etihad's fleet remains skewed towards widebodies. Its narrowbody fleet comprises fourteen A320-200s, nine A321-200s, four A321-200Ns, and one A321-200NX (with one more due). The second-hand A321neo were inducted earlier this year independent of the unfilled Airbus order. They are all ex-Bamboo Airways (QH, Hanoi Noi Bai International) stock.

Etihad's widebody fleet includes five A350-1000s (with 15 more on order), ten A380-800s, nine B777-300(ER)s, thirty-three B787-9s (eight more on order), and ten B787-10s (twenty more on order). The carrier is also expecting eight B787-8s and seventeen B777-9s in terms of its passenger fleet.