Etihad Airways operated its first A350 flight from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi on September 22.
The carrier had initially planned to roster its Airbus A350 aircraft onto one of the carriers daily flights from October 30 but this was brought forward. The aircraft will operate alongside the airline’s B787 on the London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi route.
Jeremy Pollock, country manager UK and Ireland, Etihad Airways, commented:
“We are very proud of the launch of operations for our Airbus A350 aircraft in the UK. The aircraft will provide our guests with a world-class inflight experience whilst having the knowledge that they are choosing a more sustainable method of travel.”
Flight EY11 departs Abu Dhabi at 0215 and arrives into London at 0645 the following morning. Flight EY12 departs Heathrow at 0930 and lands back into Abu Dhabi at 1915.
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 carrier’s A350 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”.
The economy cabin features USB charging and bluetooth headset pairing, as well as a 13.3-inch IFE screen.
The airline has also emphasised the sustainable features on board its A350 aircraft, offering a 35 per cent larger pillow in economy, with a 200 thread-count cotton cover made locally in the UAE, as well as a soft blanket made from recycled plastic.
The new dining experience features reusable tableware made from recycled plastic. The tray, serving plates and lids are part of a closed loop recycling system – at the end of their lifecycle, they are collected, washed, ground and reused to make new products. Etihad is also introducing stainless steel cutlery into the economy cabin to reduce the use of single-use plastic.
Return fares London-Abu Dhabi start from £720 in economy and £2,013 in business class.
Business Traveller recently reviewed the new business class suite on a special flight between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi: