Etihad Airways is about to introduce its new fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft into service after a lengthy wait.
The aircraft are the larger A350-1041 variant, featuring a mix of Business and Economy cabins, with no First Class offered, having taken a step back from this offering on many of its aircraft.
The aircraft were actually completed and delivered a few years ago, but sat in storage at Bordeaux and elsewhere pending a return to normality following the Covid-19 pandemic, when business justified introducing the type into active service.
Where Will Etihad’s A350s Fly?
The first service to be operated by Etihad’s A350s will be Abu Dhabi to Paris Charles de Gaulle on 31 March 2022. This will be a one-off service.
After the Paris service, the initial schedule will include many regional destinations, presumably as a measure to increase crew familiarity of the new type, before further long-haul destinations are added at a later date.
The inital A350 destination list is:
- Abu Dhabi – Cairo – Operates 2 May to 30 June 2022
- Abu Dhabi – Delhi – Operates 30 April to 30 June 2022
- Abu Dhabi – Istanbul – Operates 1 April to 30 June 2022
- Abu Dhabi – Jeddah – Operates 3 April to 30 June 2022
- Abu Dhabi – Mumbai – Operates 1 April to 30 June 2022
Etihad’s A350 Fleet
Etihad A350s recently in storage at Bordeaux, now entering service. Photo (c) Erik Ritterbach.
Etihad Airways has 5 Airbus A350-1041 aircraft in its fleet, with 15 more on order. They will be delivered by the end of 2023, and start to replace older Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The current fleet comprises:
- A6-XWA (cn 315)
- A6-XWB (cn 290)
- A6-XWC (cn 330)
- A6-XWE (cn 388)
- A6-XWF (cn 388)
Etihad and the A350F
Etihad Cargo, A350F#avgeek #Etihad #Airbus #A350F pic.twitter.com/BbvIY1Y9yu
— La Livery (@la_livery) February 16, 2022
Etihad became a recent customer for the new Airbus A350F freighter variant.
At the Singapore Airshow, the airline signed a Letter of Intent for seven of the type, which will operate alongside its passenger variants
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