Etihad Upgrades Melbourne Flights With Latest Boeing 787 Cabins

Etihad Airways has introduced its newest Boeing 787 9 aircraft on the Melbourne Abu Dhabi route, bringing upgraded cabins and increased capacity to the daily service from 1 February.

While the route has long been operated by the Boeing 787 9, the latest version of the aircraft adds more seats across both premium and economy cabins. Total capacity rises from 290 to 303 seats per flight, with Business Class increasing from 26 to 32 seats and Economy expanding from 262 to 271.

The upgraded aircraft features Etihad’s most advanced onboard product, headlined by its latest Business Class suites.

The 32 enclosed suites include sliding doors and Etihad’s customised Collins Elements seat, which the airline introduced as a world first on the Boeing 787. Designed to offer greater privacy and comfort, the suites are arranged in a 1 2 1 layout with direct aisle access for every passenger. Seats measure 21 inches wide and convert into fully flat beds stretching 78 inches, with multiple charging options including universal AC, USB A, USB C and wireless charging, along with generous personal storage.

In Economy Class, passengers can expect 271 next generation slimline seats, including 36 Economy Space seats, laid out in a 3 3 3 configuration.
The lighter weight seats are designed to improve fuel efficiency while enhancing comfort through slimmer armrests and a refined, space maximising design.
Standard Economy offers a 17 inch seat width, 31 inch pitch and five inch recline, while Economy Space increases pitch to 35 inches. All seats are equipped with 13.3 inch 4K UHD touchscreens and universal AC and USB charging.

The onboard technology package has also been upgraded, with Safran’s latest inflight entertainment system featuring Rave Ultra 4K monitors, Bluetooth headphone pairing and the ability for passengers to connect personal devices to the screen and use them as a remote. Connectivity is delivered via Viasat’s Ka band technology, offering high speed Wi Fi suitable for streaming, alongside Live TV with news and sports channels.

Etihad now operates daily Boeing 787 9 services from Melbourne, complemented by 10 weekly Airbus A350 1000 flights from Sydney, including double daily services on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
All Etihad flights to and from Australia now feature the airline’s latest generation cabins, making it the only Gulf carrier to offer fully enclosed doored premium cabins across its entire Australian network.

The Melbourne upgrade follows Etihad’s transition to an all A350 1000 operation on the Sydney Abu Dhabi route in December last year, a move brought forward by two months due to strong demand.

Via Abu Dhabi, Melbourne travellers can connect onwards to Etihad’s expanding global network across the Middle East, Europe and beyond. The airline expects to serve more than 100 destinations by the end of 2026, supported by a wave of new routes announced throughout 2025 and 2026.