Latest news with #narrowbody
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Etihad's new A321LR to redefine narrowbody luxury
Etihad Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321LR (long range) following a ceremony on Thursday at the Airbus Finkenwerder site, marking a transformational milestone in the airline's fleet expansion strategy. The aircraft brings Etihad's signature widebody experience to short and medium-haul routes, with premium cabins typically found only on long-haul flights. This is the first of 30 A321LR aircraft scheduled to join Etihad's fleet, the airline said. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: "Today marks an extraordinary moment for Etihad as we welcome an aircraft that changes everything we thought possible on a single-aisle plane. The A321LR enables us to serve more destinations with the same premium experience our guests expect across all cabins, perfectly embodying our commitment to delivering luxury at every altitude." Redefining Narrowbody Travel The A321LR features a three-cabin configuration, including Etihad's first-ever narrowbody First Suites - private, enclosed spaces with sliding doors, fully-flat beds, and bespoke design touches normally reserved for long-haul widebody operations. Each window-facing First Suite features a large 20-inch 4K screen, Bluetooth pairing, wireless charging, and additional space for a companion to sit. The aircraft's 14-seat Business cabin features widebody-style seats in a 1-1 herringbone layout, ensuring every passenger has direct aisle access and window views. Each Business seat includes a 17.3-inch 4K screen, Bluetooth headphone pairing and wireless charging. In Economy, 144 thoughtfully designed seats offer generous space and comfort, providing an elevated experience for single-aisle travel. Passengers enjoy 13.3-inch 4K touchscreen displays, USB charging, and Bluetooth connectivity. These seatback screens bring premium content back to narrowbody travel with over a thousand hours of movies, shows and games. In addition, the cabin features enlarged overhead bins providing significantly more luggage space than traditional narrowbody aircraft. Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus Executive Vice President Sales of the Commercial Aircraft Business, commented: 'The delivery of Etihad's first Airbus A321LR is a powerful symbol of innovation and partnership, strengthening the long-standing relationship between Airbus and the UAE. This aircraft sets a new standard for comfort in the single-aisle category and paves the way for increased connectivity as Etihad expands its operations from its Abu Dhabi hub.' Staying Connected Above the Clouds A standout feature of Etihad's A321LR is its high-speed Wi-Fi powered by Viasat's advanced technology delivering speeds of up to 100's of Mbps. Passengers can enjoy seamless streaming, gaming and browsing throughout their journey, bringing ground-level connectivity to the skies. This gate-to-gate connectivity, where permitted, ensures guests remain productive and entertained whether flying for business or leisure. Wi-Fi service on Asian routes is being progressively rolled out and will be available from September 2025. Expanding Horizons The A321LR supports Etihad's extraordinary expansion momentum, with the airline having launched or announced 27 new routes in a single year as part of its ambitious growth strategy. The aircraft will enter commercial service on 1 August 2025, initially operating between Abu Dhabi and Phuket before serving destinations including Algiers, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Kolkata, Krabi, Krakow, Medan, Milan, Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Tunis and Zurich. The A321LR delivery supports Etihad's Journey 2030 vision, reinforcing Abu Dhabi's position as a leading global aviation hub. Additional nine A321LR aircraft will be delivered throughout 2025, supporting Etihad's ambitious growth plans as the airline works towards carrying 38 million passengers annually by 2030, the airline added. Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Rolls-Royce says 'even more true' it wants to enter narrowbody market
LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - Rolls-Royce (RR.L), opens new tab CEO Tufan Erginbilgic said on Tuesday it was "even more true" that the British jet engine maker would like to enter the narrowbody plane market, preferably through a partnership. Speaking at the Paris Airshow, Erginbilgic said Rolls-Royce was talking to multiple potential partners, while adding it does not see a new narrowbody aircraft before 2035. He said the opportunity in the narrowbody, or single-aisle, plane market could be the first use of the company's UltraFan technology, adding that it could invest another 3 billion pounds ($4.1 billion) in the UltraFan programme. ($1 = 0.7377 pounds)
Bloomberg
11-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
VietJet Poised to Order About 100 More Airbus Jets at Paris Show
By and Danny Lee Save VietJet Aviation JSC is in talks to order about 100 additional Airbus SE narrowbody jets, according to people familiar with the matter, in a deal that could be announced as early as the Paris Air Show next week. The low-cost Vietnamese airline is looking to buy more of the A321neo model, the highest-capacity single-aisle jet that Airbus makes, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are confidential.
The National
10-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Jazeera Airways in the market for more narrow-body jets to capture European traffic
Kuwait's Jazeera Airways is considering the acquisition of additional narrow-body aircraft to caplitalise on "opportunistic growth' and fill a void in direct flights between Kuwait and Europe after 14 European carriers pulled out of Kuwait International Airport in the past few months, its chief executive said. The low-cost carrier is also looking towards closer co-operation with the national flag carrier Kuwait Airways to enter into a "complementary' partnership – similar to that of Emirates and flydubai – that will help them have an expanded point-to-point network. To spearhead growth, the airline is in talks with lessors for longer-range single-aisle planes such as the Airbus A321 LR and the A321 XLR as it plans for its fleet requirements, Barathan Pasupathi, chief executive, told The National. The all-Airbus operator is also studying Embraer's E2 jets for point-to-point routes with lower density traffic. "We are in the market for more narrow-body aircraft,' Mr Pasupathi said. "Sustained growth will come from the aircraft order book. Opportunistic growth will come from aircraft that we will take opportunistically into our fleet and hub when the right time comes.' Jazeera is already in talks with number of lessors who have approached the airline but Mr Pasupathi ruled out interest in widebody jets "for the time being', to keep a check on costs. While the availability of aircraft in the market is limited, lessors are offering their customers aircraft that have been declined by airlines which are experiencing a tapering off in travel demand. "We are now seeing appetite in the market for lessors knocking on doors of airlines who can absorb their capacity,' he said. Summer of 2026: A 'different ballgame' Jazeera Airways sees "opportunistic growth' potential for direct flights between Kuwait and Europe after 14 European carriers pulled out of Kuwait International Airport over the last few months. The airlines halted flights amid shortcomings in airport infrastructure and weak demand. Most recently, IAG-owned British Airways ended its London-Kuwait route in March after six decades of service as it did not expect to have enough aircraft to operate the flights. Jazeera Airways has a " game plan' to build point-to-point connections, particularly in Europe to fill the gap, and is launching services to several European destinations this summer, Mr Pasupathi said. On June 5, it started twice-weekly flights between Kuwait and Hungarian capital Budapest, marking the first non-stop service between the two countries. Asked when the airline will need to acquire additional narrow-body aircraft to meet demand, Mr Pasupathi said: "Summer of 2026 is going to be a different ballgame, if you look at the lack of European carriers in Kuwait.' "We're being approached by a lot of airports to go into Europe. There has to be a tangible return. We are studying a lot of business cases, plans, airports.' There is a "deep interest' from airports approaching Jazeera Airways thanks to Kuwait's "yield-accretive' market, well-travelled Kuwaiti population and high-spending international travellers, he said, declining to name the airports. Travel demand is also growing amid easing visa and work permit issuances in Kuwait, while intra-Gulf traffic is rising and Gulf-Europe traffic will grow when Kuwaiti citizens get visa-free access to the Schengen region, he said. Growth elsewhere Jazeera Airways is making significant inroads into Central Asia, from where it is flying pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and the year-round Umrah. Going in the other direction, there is also outbound tourism demand from Kuwait to visit these countries, he said. Travel demand growth in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Central Asia is "giving us tremendous confidence that there will be opportunistic windows to pursue and we're watching this space very carefully,' he added. "We are pleased that markets that are opening up will require aircraft capacity in point-to-point [traffic]. We also see opportunities in fifth and sixth freedom growth in some markets,' Mr Pasupathi said. Fifth freedom rights allow an airline to fly between foreign countries as a part of services to and from its home country. The so-called sixth-freedom right allows an airline to carry passengers or cargo from a second country to a third country, provided it touches down in its home country. Aircraft deliveries The airline is awaiting the arrival of 26 new aircraft – 18 A320 Neos and eight A321 Neos – that it had ordered at the Dubai Airshow in 2021. It will start taking delivery of the first A320 Neos on schedule by the end of 2026, while the A321 Neos will be handed over from 2027 onwards, both through to the end of 2030. In December, Jazeera Airways announced plans to buy six Airbus A320 classic variant planes that it currently leases and operates, in an effort to mitigate the supply chain challenges plaguing the industry. "This will give us good, sustained growth between 2024 to 2030,' Mr Pasupathi said. "However, we are very positive that we may need to grow beyond this.' 'Complementary' partnership with Kuwait Airways There is also a "tremendous' opportunity for Jazeera Airways and flag carrier Kuwait Airways to enter into a "complementary' partnership similar to that of Emirates and flydubai, he said. "From an aviation hub strategy, that excited us … we would have like to have it yesterday.' Further backing its growth ambitions, Jazeera Airways will expand Terminal 5, its terminal in Kuwait International Airport. Plans are in place to increase its capacity to 7.5 million passengers, up from five million now, to cater for anticipated growth over the next two-to-three years. "We are getting the approvals shortly,' he said. Looking ahead, the airline is "buoyed' by strong market growth, lower fuel prices and new top management executives that will shape the airline's network and commercial planning, he said. In May, the airline said it hired Paul Carroll as chief commercial officer. The former chief commercial officer of the AirAsia Group brings more than 20 years of aviation experience.
