Etihad Airways will roster its Airbus A350 aircraft onto one of the carrier’s daily flights between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow from later this year.
Starting from October 30 Etihad’s A350 will operate flight EY11 from Abu Dhabi (departing at 0235 and arriving into London at 0550 the following morning) and EY12 (departing Heathrow at 0830 and landing back into Abu Dhabi at 1920).
Etihad Airways started passenger flights with its A350-1000 aircraft in April, over two years after the carrier placed five of the newly delivered planes into storage, as part of a business transformation plan which also saw it cancel an order for 42 A350-900s.
The aircraft have been fitted with Etihad’s new business class suite – a customised version of Collins Aerospace’s Super Diamond seat (the same as that used for British Airways’ Club Suite).
The cabin features 44 forward-facing suites with sliding privacy doors, as well as a 79-inch bed, 18.5-inch IFE screen with bluetooth headset pairing, wireless charging capabilities, and an adjustable dining table “with book holder and integrated headphone hook”.
Business Traveller recently reviewed the new business class suite on a special flight between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi last week.
Commenting on the news Jeremy Pollock, UK and Ireland country manager at Etihad Airways, said:
“We are very excited to introduce the Airbus A350 to our UK guests. With highly efficient fuel consumption and CO2 savings, our passengers will have an enhanced travel experience knowing they are making a positive travel choice.
“We are looking forward to showing off our new cabins, award-winning seats and customer service, and to welcoming our first guests on board in November.”
