I flew on Etihad Airways new A350-1000 inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris on 31 March 2022. The Etihad A350-1000 has 44 Business Class suites and 327 economy class seats. A total of 5 A350-1000 will be entering service with Etihad this year.

There are the usual celebrations at the gate before takeoff, aviation enthusiasts and media were busy taking photos and videos of the new plane. The pilot gave the flight briefing and showed the latest touch screen technology on the A350-1000 cockpit display. Enjoy the views from the cockpit on takeoff.

After takeoff, I explored the Economy Class cabin. The first 5 rows in Economy have extra space as Economy Space. There are tablet holder and bluetooth enabled headset connection. I check out all the seat functions in the new Etihad Business Class suite. It has a sliding door to enhance privacy.

During the flight, I interviewed Etihad Aviation Group CEO Tony Douglas about the A350 operation and the future of the Etihad A380. The new Etihad A350-1000 will be deployed to Mumbai, Delhi, Jeddah, Cairo and Istanbul before entering long haul service to New York and Chicago in July.

I gave my verdict and recommendation on the Etihad A350 at the end of the video.