Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways is to put its first long-range Airbus A321LR into service on the route to Phuket at the beginning of August.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier disclosed the deployment plan as it took delivery of the twinjet – its first from an order of 30. The aircraft is being leased from Irish-based AerCap.
Etihad has configured the A321LR in a three-class layout including a pair of first-class suites.
The jet features 14 seats in the business-class cabin, in a 1-1 herringbone layout, and 144 economy seats.
Its cabin is also equipped with enlarged overhead luggage bins.
“The aircraft brings Etihad’s signature widebody experience to short- and medium-haul routes, with premium cabins typically found only on long-haul flights,” the carrier states.
Etihad flew the aircraft – registered A6-LRA, and fitted with CFM International Leap-1A engines – from Airbus’s Hamburg Finkenwerder plant to Abu Dhabi on 25 July.
Chief executive Antonoaldo Neves says the jet “changes everything we thought possible on a single-aisle [aircraft]”.
“[It] 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,” he adds.
Etihad plans to put the A321LR on routes to Asia, Europe and north Africa, among them Bangkok, Medan, Paris, Milan, Tunis and Algiers.
