ATM 2025: Etihad Airways reveals first-class seats on narrowbody Airbus A321LR

Dubai: UAE’s flag carrier Etihad Airways announced Monday a major step in its growth plans by revealing how it plans to configure its incoming Airbus A321LR twinjets. 

The aircraft is key to the airline’s goal of doubling its fleet and tripling passenger numbers by 2030, the airline’s top executives said on the first day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM). 

The first A321LR aircraft enters service on August 1, 2025. Etihad will add ten of these aircraft to its fleet this year, flying from Abu Dhabi to destinations including Algiers, Athens, Bangkok, Chennai, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Kolkata, Krabi, Medan, Milan, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Riyadh, Tunis, and Zurich. 

“Etihad’s luxury experience on its wide-body aircraft will now be available on the narrowbody Airbus A321LR on shorter and medium flights,” said Arik De, Chief Revenue Officer. 

A key highlight is the all-new First Suite, a private luxury space. With only two on each plane, it offers a high-end experience usually only found on long-haul flights, De explained. The aircraft will have 14 lie-flat business seats with direct aisle access and an Economy upgrade. 

Etihad plans to outfit its incoming Airbus A321LR narrowbody twinjets with a three-class configuration. The most notable aspect of this is the inclusion of two first-class suites. These will be located in the first row of the passenger cabin, offering extra space for premium passengers. “If you fly onboard our A321LR service, you’re going to have the same first-class amenities, in-flight dining, and all the bespoke service that people expect from Etihad,” said De. 

The long-range variant, the A321LR, provides an extended range that makes the aircraft capable of flying routes of up to 4,000 nm/ 7,400 km. 

Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves said Etihad has been aspiring for this day for the past two years. He said that the airline is investing heavily to improve its network's first-class experience, with new services launching soon.

Neves said, “As well as investing heavily to expand our first-class offering, we’re taking the time to enhance every tiny detail of the experience and introduce a host of new premium services over the next couple of months.”

The First Suite offers additional space for a companion to sit and a large 20” 4K screen for entertainment, with Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging. 

The new Business cabin features widebody-style seats, all forward facing with direct aisle access (1-1) in a herringbone layout with 14 fully flat 78” beds. Each seat includes a 17.3” 4K screen, Bluetooth headphone pairing, wireless charging, and ample personal storage. 

In Economy class, the 144 seats on the aircraft offer up to 5” recline, enhanced ergonomics, and ‘generous space’. 

At 18.4” wide, it’s one of the widest Economy seats in the industry, providing wide-body comfort to narrowbody aircraft. Every passenger can experience a 13.3” 4K touchscreen, USB charging, and access to Etihad’s next-generation entertainment system.

The aircraft is equipped with Viasat’s advanced, multi-orbit-ready system, which is capable of speeds of up to 1 Gbps. 

The airline is expanding its first-class offering across more routes – including the A321LR network - and significantly investing in every detail of the travel experience with new services to be introduced in August with the introduction of the A321LR.

“(The A321LR makes a lot of sense) for many of our short-haul leisure destinations where we want to offer a consistent premium product. You want to have that seamless product consistency. Great destinations like Seychelles or Maldives where you want to ensure that your first-class guest is taken care of from the beginning of the journey till the end. And this aircraft allows us to have that very seamless experience,” he added,” he added. 

The aviation industry has been plagued with an aircraft shortage these past few years owing to supply chain challenges. Despite these, Etihad has acquired aircraft through various means to meet its growth targets. The airline placed orders for the A321 aircraft two years ago. De said the airline is receiving 10 new aircraft this year and plans to continue adding roughly 10 aircraft annually in the coming years. 

“The plan is to have more than 170 aircraft by 2030, about 20 aircraft every year for the next 4-5 years, to get to 170 planes and 30 to 33 million passengers by 2030," he said.