A big upgrade is coming for a big airplane.
Lufthansa on Friday confirmed details surrounding its plan to replace the outdated business-class cabins on its double-decker Airbus A380 jets.
The retrofit will see the airline lose its current 2-2-2 configuration of business-class seats in favor of a 1-2-1 layout, bringing the fleet more in line with the current industry standard. The new seats will feature Bluetooth connectivity and flexible partitions.
There are two catches, though: Lufthansa won’t install its flagship “Allegris” business-class cabins on the superjumbo jets. Instead, the Munich-based airline plans to use a preexisting product from seatmaker Thompson, with slight customizations. Additionally, in order to give each business class seat direct access to the aisles, Lufthansa will shrink the cabin from 78 seats to 68.
Still, the new seats are likely to be a welcome improvement over the older product. They also come on top of a major reversal of fortunes for the palatial plane. While Lufthansa announced plans to retire the A380 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline returned it to service in the summer of 2023 amid a surge in pent-up travel demand as pandemic restrictions lifted.
While the return of the A380 was initially planned as a temporary measure while Lufthansa awaited certification and delivery of Boeing’s next generation 777-9 jet, ongoing rolling delays in that program have meant an evident extension for the A380, of which Lufthansa currently flies eight.
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“The retrofit underscores our commitment to providing a top flight experience on the long-haul aircraft that is so popular with our customers,” Heiko Reitz, Lufthansa’s Munich hub manager, said in a statement. “The new premium seats offer more privacy and significantly more comfort than before.”
The A380 fleet is based in Munich.
The first retrofit will begin in early February, Lufthansa said, with the first completed jet expected to enter service in April. The entire retrofit program should be completed by mid-2027, the airline said.
Notably, the other cabins will keep their current seats, contrasting with the airline’s fleet of Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 747-8s, which will see complete retrofits across all four cabins. In addition to the new 68 business class seats on the A380, the wide-body will continue to have eight first class seats, 52 seats in premium economy and 371 in coach.
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