Game Changer: Etihad Airbus A321LRs With Flat Bed First & Business Class

In just over three months, Etihad Airways plans to begin commercial service with its Airbus A321LRs. While the airline still hasn’t revealed exactly what we can expect onboard these jets, these planes will are long overdue for the airline, so I’d like to go over what we do know.

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, so at least a handful should join the 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 A321, 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), Hanoi (HAN), Krabi (KBV), Phnom Penh (PNH), Tunis (TUN), and more. On top of that, the airline plans to increase frequencies to destinations like Milan (MXP) and Zurich (ZRH).

What to expect onboard Etihad’s Airbus A321LRs

What should passengers expect onboard Etihad’s factory fresh Airbus A321LRs? Well, Etihad plans to install flat beds on all of these newly delivered jets. That’s exciting, since currently Etihad doesn’t have flat beds on any narrow body aircraft.

Etihad hasn’t yet revealed the details of what its new A321LR cabins will be like. However, with A321LR flights on sale, we know what the seat map looks like, and that contains a lot of clues.

Based on the seat map, 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

I’d be willing to bet good money on the product that Etihad will introduce, given the 1-1 configuration. JetBlue’s Airbus A321neos with Mint cabins (not to be confused with the Airbus A321LRs) have exactly the same configuration. They have 16 business class seats (two of which are special), plus 144 economy seats.

Much like on JetBlue, I imagine that Etihad will select the Thompson Aero VantageSOLO product in business class, which is a herringbone seat with a door, and is proving popular for premium narrow body aircraft. Below you can see what the JetBlue Mint Suite looks like (the standard business class seat).

Below you can see what the JetBlue Mint Studio looks like (the special business class seat in the first row).

Now, what I find most interesting here is that Etihad seems to have plans to market the first row of seats as first class, rather than as a “business class plus.” That’s certainly surprising, and not what I would have expected. Presumably there won’t be a dedicated first class lavatory, and no curtain between first and business class? Will there be a flight attendant dedicated to first class?

It’s especially surprising when you consider that Etihad isn’t necessarily an airline that’s “big” on first class. The airline only offers first class on its small Airbus A380 fleet, plus on a handful of Boeing 787-9s.

Regardless, 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.

My money is on Etihad having exactly the same configuration as JetBlue’s A321neos, but I could be off. Perhaps the most surprising development is that Etihad seems to plan on marketing the first row of seats as first class, rather than business class.

What do you make of Etihad’s Airbus A321LR plans?