Etihad deploys Dreamliner 787 on Beirut route

Carrier replaces A321 from Beirut route with fuel efficient wide-body aircraft tapping demand from Australia

Etihad is pushing to develop sustainable jet fuel, the airline said Wednesday. Roland Magunia / National
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Etihad Airways, the UAE's national carrier, today introduced Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily service from Abu Dhabi to Beirut, Lebanon.

“The new two-class 787-9 provides an increase of 125 seats per flight, with 4,186 weekly seats now offered in both directions," said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President Commercial. "This reflects the strong demand to Lebanon from Abu Dhabi and the entire UAE, where a large Lebanese expatriate community resides."

The wide-body aircraft replaces the single-aisle Airbus A321 plane previously used on the route, with a 299 seat configuration that allocates 28 seats to business class and Business 271 to economy. The carrier aims to capitalize on transit passengers that originate in Australia which is home to a large community of Lebanese.

Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, more than 110 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

The airline has a fleet of over 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s.

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) has minority investments in six airlines: airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways and Virgin Australia.