Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and Universal Pictures have unveiled the luxury Fast & Furious Boeing 777 airliner at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Actor/producer Vin Diesel was on hand as Etihad Airways Flight 171 arrived from Abu Dhabi to kick off the global junket and world premiere of Furious 7.

Representing a welcome first for the franchise, the Fast & Furious 777 will fly the direct route between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles, which Etihad Airways opened in June 2014.  The airline is also sponsor of the Furious 7 world premiere, which takes place in Los Angeles on April 1.

As the UAE offered an opportunity to inject striking elements and locales into the series’ mythology, Abu Dhabi became a key location for the Furious 7 production.  Over the course of two weeks in April 2014, the team lensed in areas outside Abu Dhabi in the Liwa Desert, as well as in the city centre at such locations as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Emirates Palace hotel, the Yas Marina F1 race circuit and the Etihad Towers.

“Etihad Airways is one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world with a strong history of culture and innovation and a commitment to reimagining the travel experience for our guests,” said Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer of Etihad Airways.  “We are pleased to work together with Universal, an organisation which shares that same spirit of innovation and re-imagination when it comes to the world of entertainment, to unveil our newly-decaled Boeing 777 aircraft in support of the Fast & Furious franchise, and Furious 7 which premieres next month and highlights our airline’s home of Abu Dhabi.”

“We are so honoured that Etihad has partnered with us to support this very personal film, and we thank the people of the UAE for all the kindness and graciousness they showed throughout production,” said producer Neal H Moritz, who has shepherded all seven films in the series.

The Fast & Furious decal will remain on the plane for the next four to six months. – TradeArabia News Service