Gulf carrier Etihad Airways has today unveiled plans to include nine first-class apartments and a three-room "residence" on its Airbus A380 which enters service at year-end.
The innovation forms part of a wide-ranging premium product development revealed today in Abu Dhabi. This will be rolled out on the airline's new A380s and Boeing 787s, which also start to arrive at the end of this year.
The residence, complete with butler, and first-class apartments are elements of a dedicated premium offering in the upper deck of the A380s. The apartments for first class feature a reclining lounge chair and an ottoman which converts into a lie-flat bed.
Etihad Airways
The first-class apartments feature a reclining lounge chair and a lie-flat bed
First-class suites will be offered on the new 787s it has configured in three-class cabins – it is taking a mix of two- and three-class configurations – offering passengers an enhanced suite with mini-bar.
Both types will feature the new business studio concept, which offers fully flat beds. There are 70 business studios on Etihad's A380s and 28 on its 787s.
Etihad debuts its A380 at the end of this year on flights to London Heathrow, followed by Sydney and New York JFK. The 787s will be introduced on flights to Washington, Mumbai and Dusseldorf initially.
Flightglobal's Ascend Online database shows the Abu Dhabi carrier has 10 A380s and 71 787s on order.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
