Last week, Etihad Airways took delivery of its first Airbus A321LR aircraft, with 29 more scheduled to join the fleet. LR stands for “long-range,” which will upgrade the travel experience for medium-haul flights to and from Abu Dhabi to the world.
The A321LR is the first single-aisle jet in Etihad’s fleet to feature a first-class suite and lie-flat business-class. Unlike the earlier A321s aircraft, the LR variant has an extended range of 4000 miles, allowing the airline to extend its narrow-body flights to fly all the way to Phuket at one end, and destinations in Greece at the other end. In India, Vistara (now Air India) has some A321LR aircraft as part of its fleet. The LR variant is a great plane to launch a premium cabin product, where the demand is not large enough to fill up a larger twin-jet aircraft.
I headed over to Hamburg to be at the Airbus FAL for A321 aircraft, to get a preview of the new jet, and fly on it to Abu Dhabi on the delivery flight. Here is your first look inside the Etihad A321LR.
Etihad’s new First Class on board the A321LR
The older A321s are still under discussion around what the airline wants to do with them. In the meantime, Etihad is developing a new cabin for its narrow-body product. The new cabin has a first-class product in the first row of the aircraft, followed by business class. There are two first-class suites, one on each side of the aisle.
The bulkhead seat features 20-inch 4K TVs, a buddy seat, Bluetooth audio connectivity, which allows you to connect your headset with the IFE and much more. There are also sliding doors, which will enable you to shut them away and travel in privacy. There is also the additional storage space that comes with the expanded area (as compared to the business cabin). There is enough space to bring in three people, actually, as Antonoaldo Neves of Etihad showed us, conducting a meeting in 1A on board.
While airlines usually market the bulkhead as business-plus, Etihad promises an elevated experience that will take this into First Class—more on that in another post.
Etihad’s new Business Class on the A321LR
Right behind the First Class cabin, Etihad’s Business Class features 14 seats in a 1-1 configuration. All of the seats face the window in a reverse-herringbone setup, which means that when you are flying this cabin, you are busy looking out of the window or into your IFE screen, rather than looking into the aisle or someone else’s screebs or seats. Etihad picked a customised version of the Stelia Opera seat for their A321LR business class cabin.
The key difference between the physical space in the Business Class and First Class cabin is the storage, which is minimal in the Business Class cabin, and the lack of privacy doors. Those doors never made it onto the J cabin purely because of weight considerations for the cabin, given that Etihad operates from one of the hottest parts of the world, which affects the payload that can be carried.
However, the cabin was fantastic to sleep in and had more than enough room to toss and turn, allowing for comfortable sleep in either a straight or side position. The seats converted to beds that measure 78 inches and feature open cubby areas.
Again, each seat has its own IFE screen, slightly smaller than the one in First Class, measuring 17.3 inches, but still displaying 4K resolution. There is also the capability to pair your wireless headphones via Bluetooth audio connectivity. This feature worked much smoother on Etihad than in some of the other cabins I’ve flown with this feature. And, of course, there is an array of charging options, including wireless charging, USB-C and USB-A ports, and a universal power outlet.
Etihad’s Economy Cabin on the A321LR
The aircraft also features 144 economy seats, which are no less plush (for economy, at least), compared to many of the other jets that fly with an Economy cabin. There is excellent padding and good leg room. There are six rows of extra-legroom seats featuring 34 inches of pitch, while the remaining seats will offer 30 inches of seat pitch. All seats measure 18.4 inches wide, which are some of the widest seats on an Airbus narrowbody, in comparison to the 18″ standard for other Airbus aircraft.
Every economy seat features a 13.3-inch 4K monitor, as well as USB-A and USB-C charging ports. The aircraft also has two lavatories for 11 passengers, which is where I believe a queue will form for toilet use, a common occurrence in narrow-body medium to long-haul flights. Fortunately, the airline has chosen to place one lavatory at the front and one at the back to spread out the use, rather than having everyone head to the back.
Where will the A321LR fly?
Etihad’s inaugural commercial flight for the A321LR is scheduled to fly on August 1, 2025 (today) from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Phuket International Airport (HKT) in Thailand, but there is much more to come. Chiang Mai, Algiers, Mahe, and Kolkata are some of the destinations the aircraft will visit, and there is a long list of places Etihad hopes to announce as more of their jets come online.
Bottomline
Etihad’s new A321LR is an excellent concept from the airline, and the airline hopes for it to be the route opener on various unserved markets. I’d say the airline spared no expense, and it intends to deliver its very best premium experience on this jet, just as it does with its widebody fleet. The intention, after all, is to offer a complete experience rather than have people fly first or business on widebodies arriving into AUH, and then fly on an inferior product.
What do you think of Etihad’s new Airbus A321LR product?
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Does anyone know whether row 20 behind the exit row 19 has extra legroom in A321lr? It appears that way on Etihad’s seating plan. Thanks.
Sadly, while they proudly advertise their new aircraft, at etihad they use on many routes airplanes from a low cost called Wamos. Not nice to pay a premium price and then suffer in the most awfull business I have ever experienced.