Etihad Makes Milan Flight a Triple-Daily Service

It’s no secret that Italy is one of the most sought-after destinations worldwide. For many carriers, including those in the Middle East, Italy represents a strategic destination for both business and leisure travel. The demand for travel to Italy has proven so strong in 2025 that Etihad has committed to further increase its flights.

One More Abu Dhabi-Milan Flight by Etihad

The Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad is further strengthening its services to Italy. Currently, the airline operates two daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Milan Malpensa (as of May 2025). Starting in November, flights will increase to 3 daily.

This number of daily flights will even exceed those offered by fellow United Arab Emirates carrier, Emirates, which operates 2 daily flights.

All Made Possible Thanks to the Compact and Versatile A321LR

Etihad Airways has decided to activate the new daily frequency without committing a large aircraft to the route. Instead, the new daily Milan-Abu Dhabi flight will be operated using a smaller and more economical A321LR. One of the latest additions to the fleet that, despite being a narrow-body aircraft, features a configuration with 3 travel classes and a complete offering in premium cabins with:

• 2 First Class Suites – 1-1 layout
• 14 Business Class Seats – 1-1 layout
• 144 Economy Class Seats – 3-3 layout

The two First Class suites differ from business class in offering more space, a sliding door ensuring greater privacy, and a larger entertainment screen (20 inches compared to 17.3 inches in business class). The seat itself, however, is the same, based on. the Stelia Opera SA design.

In economy, it’s undoubtedly preferable to travel on one of the other two daily flights that operate on wide body aircraft.

What’s the Advantage of the Airbus A321LR for Etihad?

The Airbus A321neo, in this particular case the A321LR, is the aircraft that is radically changing airlines’ route planning. With a smaller aircraft compared to the larger Boeing 777, 787, or Airbus A380 and A350, airlines have lower flight operation costs, allowing them to experiment with increased frequencies or open new routes where immediate success isn’t certain.

Achieving a load factor that generates profits is much simpler with an A321 than with a wide-body aircraft. This is why airlines love this new generation of A321neo despite them being slightly less comfortable in economy class than larger aircraft.