
Etihad Airways' first Airbus A321LR to enter commercial service on August 1
The aircraft will initially operate between Abu Dhabi and Phuket, before expanding to serve destinations including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Copenhagen, Milan, Paris, and Zurich.
Etihad Airways' first Airbus A321LR aircraft arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Friday under the flight number EY3210, receiving a spectacular welcome from Etihad employees and key stakeholders who gathered to celebrate this milestone moment.
The arrival of EY3210 supports Etihad's extraordinary growth momentum, with 27 new routes launched or announced this year.
Nine additional A321LR aircraft will arrive throughout 2025, strengthening Abu Dhabi's position as a global aviation hub and supporting the airline's Journey 2030 vision of carrying 38 million passengers annually.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Zawya
6 hours ago
- Zawya
Syria signs $4bln airport redevelopment pact with Qatari-Turkish-US consortium
The Syrian government, represented by General Authority of Civil Aviation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium comprising Qatari, Turkish, and US companies to redevelop Damascus International Airport in a project valued at over $4 billion. The consortium led by Qatar's UCC Holding, through its investment arm UCC Concessions Investments, includes Assets Investments USA as well as Turkish construction giants Cengiz İnşaat, Kalyon İnşaat, and TAV Tepe Akfen, UCC Holding said in a press statement. Five-phase redevelopment plan The redevelopment will follow a Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) model over five phases: Phase 1: Expand capacity to 6 million passengers in the first year. Phase 2: Increase capacity to 16 million passengers. Final Phase: Reach a capacity of 31 million passengers annually. The airport will be constructed in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards, and feature: Up to 32 gates with modern passenger boarding bridges Integrated air navigation service systems A world-class duty-free area with international dining and retail outlets The project scope includes the redevelopment of a 50-kilometre access road to the airport. Additionally, the agreement earmarks $250 million in financing to purchase 10 Airbus A320 aircraft for Syrian Airlines as part of efforts to revitalise the national carrier. Power sector development In May 2025, the Syrian government and a UCC Holding-led international consortium had signed an MOU worth $7 billion to develop and operate power generation projects in the country. The consortium led by UCC Holding's investment arm UCC Concessions Investments included Turkey's Cengiz Energy and Kalyon Energy; and US-based Power International USA. The agreement covered the development of four combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants in Traifawi (Homs), Zayzoun (Hama), Deir-Azzour, and Mehardeh (Hama), with an approximate installed generation capacity of 4,000 megawatts (MW) and a 1,000 MW solar power plant in Wedian Alrabee, located in the southern region of Syria. The projects, which will be implemented under Build-Own-Operate (BOO) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) models with corresponding power purchase agreements (PPAs), has completion timelines of three years for the gas plants and less than two years for the solar plant once final agreements and financial close are achieved. 12 agreements worth $14 billion The $4 billion Damascus Airport redevelopment pact is part of Syria 12 investment deals worth $14 billion with international companies inked by the Syrian government on Wednesday. Other deals include a $2 billion agreement with a UAE company to establish a metro in the Syrian capital, a $2 billion deal for the Damascus Towers project with Italy-based UBAKO and agreements worth $500 million and $60 million for Baramkeh Towers and Baramkeh Mall respectively. In July 2025, Syria and DP World inked an $800 million agreement to develop, manage and operate a multi-purpose terminal at Tartous for 30 years under Bot model and cooperate in establishing industrial and free trade zones. In the same month, Saudi Arabia had announced $6.4 billion of investments in the country including $2.93 billion for real estate and infrastructure projects and about $1.07 billion for the telecommunications and information technology sector. (Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)


Al Etihad
7 hours ago
- Al Etihad
UK's Birmingham Airport temporarily shuts after plane's landing gear failure forces emergency landing
6 Aug 2025 23:02 LONDON (REUTERS)Birmingham Airport in central England temporarily shut its only runway on Wednesday after a small aircraft made an emergency landing after developing landing gear problems that left one person with minor Aviation, a private charter firm that is based at Belfast International Airport and owns the Beech B200 Super King Air plane, said in a statement that the "main under-carriage collapsed on touch down."Birmingham Airport said in a later update on Wednesday that the runway was likely to remain close until 2000 local time (1900 GMT).All people on board the aircraft had been discharged by the emergency services and security screening were temporarily closed, it police said in a post on X that emergency crews responded to the incident, which occurred at around 1240 shared on social media showed a small propeller aircraft stationary on the runway of Britain's seventh busiest aircraft took off at 1211 local time and was bound for Belfast in Northern Ireland, according to plane tracking website airport website showed that some flights have been diverted to other British airports and some departures have been canceled or delayed. The airport, which served some 13 million passengers last year, is Britain's third largest outside London.


Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Air India to fully restore international operations by October 1, CEO says
Air India MD and CEO Campbell Wilson on Wednesday wrote letters to members of its frequent flyer programme 'Maharaja Club', apprising them of the safety measures the airline has taken after the unfortunate AI171 crash in Ahmedabad. The CEO and MD stated that, at Air India, the safety of the passengers, crew, and aircraft is not just a priority; it is their "unwavering commitment and the foundation of every decision we make". Following the tragic accident of AI171 in June, it is understandable that there is heightened scrutiny and concern about air travel. "I would therefore like to share the measures we have taken to reinforce our operations," he wrote in emails to the Maharaja Club members, as he continued to highlight every measure taken to regain flyers' confidence. Air India has ensured detailed inspections of their fleet of Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft. Each aircraft underwent inspections under the oversight of India's aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and "we confirm that no issues were found during these inspections," Campbell Wilson wrote. "As with some other international airlines, we also inspected the fuel control switch mechanism of Boeing 737 and 787-8 aircraft, likewise with no findings. We continue to work closely with regulators, maintaining full transparency and ensuring that every action we take aligns with the highest standards of safety and care," he continued. The voluntary "Safety Pause" also continues, entailing a temporary reduction in Air India's schedule to accommodate additional pre-flight checks and mitigate the impact of regional airspace closures. "We also took the opportunity of additional ground time to accelerate upgrades to improve aircraft reliability and to strengthen how we manage delays and disruptions," the CEO and MD wrote. He further reassured that Air India's regular safety protocols are rigorous and multi-layered, with every aircraft undergoing thorough checks before take-off by trained engineers and pilots. "Maintenance is conducted at certified facilities before and between flights. Our pilots, cabin crew, and engineers train regularly at the Air India Training Academy, ensuring full alignment with the latest safety procedures and global best practices and our Integrated Operations Control Centre tracks every flight in real time, monitoring weather, crew, and aircraft performance," he added. All of Air India's processes are backed by a comprehensive Safety Management System aligned with global aviation standards and fully compliant with DGCA and the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines, he reaffirmed. The Air India top official also apprised the frequent flyers that their phased restoration of international operations from August 1, 2025, with full resumption targeted for October 1, 2025. "I acknowledge that there have been some operational challenges over the last few weeks that may have impacted your travel experience. Rest assured, we take this seriously and we are committed to strengthening our internal processes to minimise the inconvenience that such circumstances cause to you. Alongside, our broader efforts to modernise operations continue in full swing, including our retrofit programme which will significantly elevate your in-flight experience," Campbell Wilson wrote. On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating between Ahmedabad and Gatwick Airport (London), crashed within one minute of take-off. The crash occurred in the densely populated Meghani Nagar locality of Ahmedabad. As many as 260 persons were killed, including 241 on board and 19 on the ground.