Etihad's A321neo (LR) First Class Takes Flight in 3Q25

Etihad's A321neo (LR) First Class:

In a first for its narrowbody aircraft, Etihad Airways intends to equip the A321-200NX(LR), scheduled for delivery in the following year, with first-class, lie-flat business class seats. The Emirati airline plans to introduce the type in August 2025 on the Phuket route.

The airline intends to use the new model on one of its three daily rotations to Phuket in place of the standard B787-9s. The other two rotations will function using B787-10s. According to Etihad's online booking engine, the A321neo(LR) will carry up to 160 passengers, with two first-class seats, fourteen business class lie-flat seats arranged in a 1-1 arrangement, 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 said.

In 2013, Etihad Airways placed a bold order with Airbus for twenty A321-200NX(LR) aircraft. According to the airline, these planes will be used on medium- and long-haul routes too narrow for widebodies to operate daily.

Despite years of reorganization, Etihad's fleet is still heavily weighted towards widebodies. Four A321-200Ns, nine A320-200s, fourteen A320-200s, and one A321-200NX (with one more on order) make up its narrowbody fleet. The used A321neo was introduced earlier this year, regardless of the unfulfilled Airbus order. All of them are former Bamboo Airways stock.

Etihad's widebody fleet consists of thirty-three B787-9s (eight more are on order), ten A380-800s, nine B777-300(ER)s, five A350-1000s (with 15 more on order), ten B787-10s, and nine B777-300(ER)s. Regarding its passenger fleet, the airline also expects eight B787-8s and seventeen B777-9s.