Bookings are now open for the A350 flights from 30 October, with return business fares from £1,810 from Heathrow, £1,962 from Manchester and €2,652 from Dublin.

The new business cabin has 44 Business Studios with sliding doors, with every seat facing forward and with direct aisle access. The aircraft has only two classes, as Etihad does not offer a premium economy cabin.

Jeremy Pollock, Etihad’s country manager, UK & Ireland, said: “We are very excited to introduce the Airbus A350 to our UK guests. 

“We are looking forward to showing off our new cabins, award-winning seats and customer service, and to welcoming our first guests onboard in November.”

Etihad also confirmed that from July 2022 to September 2022 it will increase its current four daily flights from Heathrow to five. The daily flight from Manchester will continue, with five flights a week from Dublin increasing to seven from July.

New passenger features of the experience include blankets made from recycled plastic and reusable tableware made from recycled high-quality plastic that eliminates the use of single-use plastic, along with stainless-steel cutlery as a further reduction

The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered Airbus A350 has 25% less fuel burn and CO2 emissions than previous generation twin-aisle aircraft and Etihad’s incorporation of the aircraft into its fleet is part of its ‘Sustainable50’ programme, designed to drive operational efficiencies and reduce aviation’s impact on the environment.

Formed as a partnership between Etihad, Airbus and Rolls-Royce, the Sustainable50 programme will also see Etihad’s A350s used as ‘flying testbeds’ of new initiatives, procedures and technologies to reduce carbon emissions.

The airline has a similar process in place with Boeing, developing greener flying regimes on the B787 Greenliner.