Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is expanding its Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight network with the deployment of the state-of-the-art aircraft on the Abu Dhabi – Zurich route.

Starting today (July 6), Etihad Airways will substitute the currently operated Airbus A330-300 aircraft used on the route with the three-class Dreamliner, featuring the airline’s ground-breaking First Suite, Business Studio and Economy Smart Seat.

Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer, James Hogan, said that introducing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Zurich made logical sense as there has been a strong interest from Swiss travellers for the airline’s latest product.

“This strategic decision to deploy the Dreamliner demonstrates our clear commitment to the Swiss market. Travellers from Switzerland will soon be able to experience the unparalleled levels of comfort, entertainment and inflight connectivity of this next-generation aircraft, being seamlessly connected through the Abu Dhabi hub to our rapidly expanding network.”

Etihad Airways’ new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is configured to carry 235 passengers, with eight seats in First Class, 28 in Business Class and 199 in Economy Class, offering a total of 3,290 seats per week on the Zurich route.   

In First Class, guests will be offered a luxurious suite with a large seat and ottoman, a personal wardrobe, chilled mini-bar and a 24-inch TV monitor. Business Class guests will enjoy the luxury and comfort of the airline’s new Business Studios – each featuring a fully-flat bed of up to 80.5 inches long and a personal 18-inch touch screen TV with noise-cancelling headsets. In Economy Class, the comfortable Economy Smart Seat has been designed with a unique ergonomic fixed wing headrest on each seat.

On-board décor and lighting is inspired by contemporary modern Arabian design, complementing the ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ design identity introduced by the airline in late 2014.

Etihad Airways’ order for two variants of the B787 (-9 and -10), is one of the world’s largest for the Dreamliner, totalling 71 aircraft. The airline currently operates the B787-9 to Brisbane, Washington DC, and from August 1 to Singapore - enabling guests to travel between Zurich and Singapore, via Abu Dhabi, on a Dreamliner all the way. More destinations will be added as the airline takes delivery of more of the type.

Etihad Airways flies daily to Zurich and provides seamless onwards connections to numerous points across Europe on the networks of airberlin, Niki, Alitalia, Air Serbia and Etihad Regional. The Zurich service also offers connectivity to over 40 destinations in the Gulf region, Africa, Indian Subcontinent, North and South East Asia, and Australia via Etihad Airways’ hub in Abu Dhabi. – TradeArabia News Service