Three new 787-9 Dreamliners join the Etihad Airways fleet as it flies towards ambitious growth

Etihad Airways is celebrating the arrival of three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft this weekend. The national airline of the UAE welcomed the latest additions to its expanding fleet at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport. The new aircraft will begin operations this month, helping Etihad to expand in line with its ambitious roadmap which will see it fly to 125 destinations with more than 160 aircraft by 2030.

Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome these brand-new, state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Abu Dhabi. Their arrival is key to our network expansion strategy and comes at the perfect time as we continue to add multiple new destinations and expand frequencies into key markets.These new aircraft support our commitment to Abu Dhabi, allowing us to bring more guests to experience the incredible capital of the UAE, either as their end destination or on a stopover when connecting across our expanding network.”

The 787-9s will further bolster Etihad’s fleet as it launches additional destinations over the coming months. Etihad will begin flying to Boston, its fourth US gateway, on 31 March, and will add Nairobi and Bali to the network as well as summer routes to Nice, Malaga, Mykonos and Santorini.

The arrival of the three new Dreamliners follows the new Boeing 787-10 received in October 2023, which added further capacity to support Etihad’s network expansion. The airline added new routes to Osaka, Copenhagen and Dusseldorf in quarter four of 2023, as well as Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in the Kerala region of India on New Year’s Day. Etihad has also expanded across multiple markets with additional flight frequencies and improved connectivity across the network. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners are up to 25% more fuel efficient than many comparable aircraft of their size. In total, Etihad now operates 43 Dreamliners and a total fleet of 88 aircraft including the Airbus A380, A350, A320 family, and Boeing 777.

A remarkable flying experience

Etihad’s new 787 Dreamliner cabin interior offers a comfortable and spacious cabin environment in Etihad’s award-winning signature style. The two-class aircraft features a brand-new cabin interior with 32 Business Suites and 271 seats in Economy. 

The Business cabin features a unique and customised version of the Elements seat manufactured by Collins and Etihad is the first airline in the world to introduce this seat on the Boeing 787. The Business Suites provide guests with generous levels of space, comfort and privacy. Each seat has direct aisle access and reclines to a fully lie-flat-bed 78” in length boasting a 17.3” 4K TV screen, Bluetooth headphone pairing, wireless charging, and multiple charging ports, as well as plenty of storage.

In Economy, the newest 787 offers lighter, and therefore more fuel-efficient, seats than the current fleet, with 217 standard seats and 54 Extra Legroom seats with four inches of additional legroom. As well as providing guests with exceptional comfort, the slimmer profile seats provide an increased feeling of space for every guest. The new 787 Dreamliner offers the latest in-flight entertainment technology from Safran with Rave Ultra 13.3” 4K touch-screen monitors and the option to pair personal phones and tablets to the screen to use as a remote.

The aircraft is fitted with a new connectivity solution from Viasat using Ka-band technology which offers high-speed Wi-Fi with streaming capabilities on board as well as Live TV, including news and sport channels. Through Etihad’s Wi-Fly, all Etihad Guest members can enjoy complimentary chat packages, while all guests can choose to purchase a full Surf package with unlimited data for the duration of the flight.