Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled the next generation of its global lounge experience, beginning with a transformed London Heathrow Lounge in summer 2027 and marking the start of a wider expansion of Etihad lounges around the world.
The Heathrow lounge will be the first to introduce Etihad’s new Beyond Borders design language to the ground experience, beginning a new design cycle that will increasingly connect the airline’s lounges and aircraft through a recognisable Etihad look and feel.
The new lounge experience forms part of Etihad’s wider Beyond Borders product and experience, bringing greater consistency across the guest journey as the airline invests in its aircraft, lounges, dining, amenities, wellbeing, connectivity and service.
This approach creates a more connected, recognisable and distinctly Etihad journey across the airport, lounge, aircraft and destination. It is part of Etihad’s US$20 billion investment in new aircraft and customer experience, including a US$1 billion fleet retrofit programme.
The transformed London Heathrow Lounge will provide the first complete expression of the new lounge design. Guests at Etihad’s ATM stand received an early preview through a showpiece central feature and new bar design that will form part of the Heathrow space.
The design and experiences are also set to extend to new Etihad lounges across Etihad’s network. Together, the lounges will become premium gateways into the Etihad experience, reflecting the same design language and hospitality principles being introduced across the airline’s new Beyond Borders products and experiences.
Each lounge will feature dedicated spaces for Business and First guests, alongside private suites for guests travelling in The Residence.
Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “Our new lounges are an important part of the Etihad experience and London Heathrow marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter. It will be the first lounge to bring our new design language fully to life on the ground, creating a space that feels uniquely Etihad and distinctly connected to Abu Dhabi.
“The thinking behind Beyond Borders is that our guests should increasingly recognise the same Etihad identity wherever they are in their journey. That doesn’t mean every space or every aircraft needs to be identical, but there should be a clear connection through our design, hospitality, dining, wellbeing and service.
“London is the beginning. As we expand our lounge network, we have an opportunity to create a more consistent premium experience on the ground while continuing to bring the warmth and character of Abu Dhabi to our guests around the world.”
The new design language is born in Abu Dhabi and underpinned by the concept from sand to superstructure, drawing inspiration from the emirate’s natural landscape, architecture and transformation. First introduced through Etihad’s new aircraft interiors, the design will now extend into the lounge environment through a shared approach to materials, textures, lighting and distinctive design details.
Rather than creating identical spaces, the approach establishes recognisable touchpoints that connect Etihad’s lounges and aircraft while allowing each environment to respond to its location and purpose.
The lounge announcement follows the world debut of Etihad’s new A330 cabin at ATM, alongside the showcase of the new Beyond Borders design on its A321LR. Together, the aircraft and lounge developments provide the first look at how Etihad’s new design language will progressively connect different parts of the guest journey.
As Etihad continues one of the most significant growth phases in its history, London Heathrow will mark the beginning of a new chapter for its global lounges, with further developments planned as the Beyond Borders design and experience progressively extends across the Etihad journey.
