Etihad to Introduce High-Density A321LR with First Class and Reduced Business Class

Etihad Airways plans to reconfigure its Airbus A321LR fleet by 2027, reducing business class seats from 14 to 6 and adding 42 economy seats, while retaining a two-seat first class cabin

What happened

First Class: Retained with 2 seats (reverse herringbone), described as a "business class plus" product with full soft service.
Business Class: Reduced from 14 seats to 6 seats (reverse herringbone).
Economy: Increased from 144 seats to 186 seats. The airline is eliminating 8 business class seats to accommodate the 42 additional economy seats. This configuration will initially be deployed on routes from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM). This marks a notable shift for Etihad, which has previously maintained a more balanced premium-to-economy ratio on its narrow-bodies, and introduces first class to a high-density narrow-body jet, a rarity in the industry

Etihad Airways is planning a significant cabin reconfiguration for its Airbus A321LR aircraft, with the new layout scheduled to begin in early 2027. The airline will transition from its current 160-seat configuration to a high-density 194-seat layout. Key changes include: