Etihad Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321LR aircraft, and with it a three-class interior featuring a new front-row first class product called First Suites. The long-range (LR) narrowbody is fitted with Safran Passenger Innovations’ RAVE inflight entertainment system from nose to tail, and Viasat’s Ka-band satellite-powered Wi-Fi.

This is the first of 20 A321LRs on lease to Etihad from lessor AerCap Holdings, which delivered the twinjet on 24 July during a special ceremony at the Airbus Delivery Center in Hamburg, before it took to the skies for the inaugural delivery flight to its home in Abu Dhabi.

Ten more A321LRs are earmarked for Etihad, however, with the carrier saying in a statement that a total “30 A321LR aircraft” are scheduled to join its fleet. Of these 30 twinjets, ten will arrive in 2025 to support Etihad’s ambitious growth plans.

Over the last several years, Etihad has pursued a BYOD model for its Airbus A320/A321 narrowbodies flying short-haul regional services, with cached content streamed to passengers’ own devices.

But according to the airline, the A321LR is expected to “transform short and medium-haul travel” at Etihad. And indeed, in some instances it will be flying longer medium-haul routes such as the 6hr 30 min jaunt to Phuket, Thailand when it enters revenue service on 1 August.

Thus, it’s understandable why Etihad has opted to bring widebody comfort to the aircraft type, including with lie-flat premium seats configured 1-1 and seatback IFE throughout the jet.

As the A321LR arrived in Abu Dhabi, the airline shared a video of the new interiors on the socials.

Up front, as previously reported by RGN, Etihad is offering lie-flat seats based on Stelia’s Opera SA (Single Aisle) outward-facing herringbone. Two doored mini-suites at the front of the cabin serve as the new First Suites, with 14 mini-suites without doors behind them.

Outside of the doors, Etihad is differentiating First Suites by offering companion seating and larger 4K RAVE IFE screens: 20” versus 17.3” in business class. Both first and business feature Bluetooth headphone pairing and wireless charging.

Sylvain Guilbon, who serves as vice president of program management at Safran Passenger Innovations said on LinkedIn: “Congratulations Etihad and AerCap on the delivery of your first A321LR equipped with Safran RAVE IFE.”

Incidentally, SPI’s RAVE has a growing footprint on Etihad’s widebody fleet, with new Boeing 787s arriving linefit with the IFE system, together with Viasat Wi-Fi, and other aircraft types understood to be in line for equipage.

Down back aboard the new A321LR, 144 economy class seats, based on Collins Aerospace’s Meridian product, are billed by Etihad as offering “generous” space and comfort. That’s because they’re a bit wider than Airbus’ usual 18” standard, ostensibly due to narrower aisles. Each seat also features a 13.3” RAVE 4K touchscreen display, USB charging, and Bluetooth connectivity.

“The A321LR 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,” said Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves in a statement.

After the A321LR’s inaugural Abu Dhabi-Phuket flight on 1 August, the aircraft will support Etihad’s broader expansion plan which sees the carrier launching a raft of new routes.

Passengers can expect to see the A321LR on flights to Algiers, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Kolkata, Krabi, Krakow, Medan, Milan, Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Tunis and Zurich.

“We take immense pride in playing a role as Etihad expands its fleet and extends its reach from its home in Abu Dhabi’s iconic Zayed International Airport,” said AerCap CCO Peter Anderson.

“After announcing record results and achieving record-breaking customer satisfaction scores, Etihad is now poised to build on that success with its new state-of-the-art A321LR fleet. These aircraft will enable further network expansion, offering exceptional performance, extended range, and improved fuel-efficiency, while enhancing the travel experience across all cabins for customers worldwide.”

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