Carrier Etihad Airlines in the Middle East will use its first long-distance Airbus A321LR on its route to Phuket at the beginning of August.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline has disclosed its deployment plan as it delivered Twinjet. This is the first of 30 orders. The aircraft is leased by Ireland-based Aercap.
Etihad has configured the A321LR with three class layouts, including first class suites.
The Jet has 14 seats in a business class cabin, a 1-1 herringbone layout, 144 seats and 144 seats.
The cabin is also equipped with an enlarged overhead luggage bin.
“The aircraft brings Etihad's signature wide body experience to short and medium-range routes. Premium cabins are usually only found on long-haul flights,” Carrier said.
Etihad flew an aircraft equipped with a CFM International Leap-1A engine, registering the A6-LRA from Airbus' Hamburg Finkenwarder plant to Abu Dhabi on July 25th.
CEO Antono Aldneves says that Jets “change everything you think is possible with a single-aisle.”
“(That) we fully embody our commitment to providing more destinations and offering luxury at all elevations, allowing us to offer more destinations in the same premium experience that our guests expect in every cabin,” he adds.
Etihad plans to place the A321LR on its routes to Asia, Europe, North Africa, among them Bangkok, Medan, Paris, Milan, Tunis and Algiers.
