Etihad Airways Gluten-Free Quick Facts
- A Coeliac Traveller
- Jan 11
- 2 min read
Last Updated: December 2025. Based on experiences onboard 4 flights in November/December 2025.
Etihad Airways Gluten-free Quick Fact Sheet:
The Good:
No reaction to any of the meals.
For the most part, the food was nice.
Dietary-requirement meals served separately before the main meal service.
Nice placard accompanying the meal outlining the dietary requirements.
Good number of meals throughout long-haul flights.
The ciabatta rolls with pesto and mixed grilled vegetables were a personal highlight.
Areas of Improvement:
On occasion, I was mistakenly handed food that contained gluten. This wasn’t isolated to one flight but happened multiple times.
The desserts were often lacklustre.
The quality of the bread rolls served can be hit and miss.
Must Know:
You need to pre-book any special dietary meals (including gluten-free meals) through the Etihad website at least 24 hours prior to boarding. You must also go through each flight in the booking and select a gluten-free meal. A gluten-free meal must be selected for each individual flight in your booking.
While the meal itself is made entirely from gluten-free ingredients, the airline cannot guarantee against traces.
Conclusion:
Overall, Etihad Airways provides an acceptable gluten-free service. The meals were varied and, for the most part, tasty and delicious. The desserts can be lacklustre, but this is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. Importantly, across all four flights, no reaction was experienced from any of the food.
Special dietary meals were delivered separately before the main meal service, which helps to minimise the chances of cross-contamination. There is still room for Etihad to improve, as on several occasions I was handed regular food containing gluten. Thankfully, this was realised before I ate any of it. Just be alert to what food is handed to you.
The Official Etihad Airways Website:
In-depth Reviews:
This article was last updated in January 2025. It was written based on experiences onboard five Singapore Airlines flights in January 2025.
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