Lufthansa A380s Getting New Business Class In 2025

In the past couple of years, Lufthansa sure has made a 180 when it comes to its Airbus A380 plans. A while back, the airline revealed that it would introduce a new business class product on its Airbus A380s. We’re now learning details about the order in which A380s will get this new product.

Lufthansa sees long term future for A380s

At the beginning of the pandemic, Lufthansa grounded its fleet of Airbus A380s, and the intent was that these planes would be retired, and would only reenter service “in the event of an unexpectedly rapid market recovery.”

With the strong recovery we’ve seen in transatlantic leisure demand, the airline made the decision to start bringing back Airbus A380s as of the summer of 2023. The plan is for the company to bring back all eight A380s that it still owns by 2025 (there were initially 14, but six of them have been sold), meaning we can expect to see these jets on an increasing number of routes.

At first, the return of the A380s was mostly described as a temporary measure, in light of delayed Boeing 777-9 deliveries. The airline didn’t commit to keeping these planes around in the long run, though that changed over time.

In September 2023, Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr outlined how the A380s have a long term home in the Lufthansa fleet. While he hasn’t committed to an exact timeline for how long they’ll stick around, he said that the super jumbos “will be flying again for longer than we thought a year ago.”

The most telling part of this plan is how the airline intends to invest in these planes…

Lufthansa plans new business class for A380s

Lufthansa has confirmed plans to introduce a new business class product on Airbus A380s as of 2025. The process of installing this product might actually start pretty soon, as flagged by Frankfurtflyer. Lufthansa has already reactivated six of the eight A380s that are coming back, and the two remaining A380s are expected to get the new business class before they reenter service.

Specifically, the jets with the registration codes D-AIMA und D-AIMB are undergoing heavy maintenance in the Philippines prior to reentering service, and while that’s completed, the new product will be installed. The A380 with the registration code D-AIMB flew to Manila earlier this month, so that work should start soon. However, don’t expect the plane to enter service before 2025.

Rather interestingly, it’s only business class that’s getting new cabins, while first class, premium economy, and economy, will remain the same, aside from some minor upgrades (like improved inflight entertainment).

Lufthansa management has claimed that the A380s have been proving very reliable for long haul flights, and that many passengers specifically book the A380 for comfort.

As many of you are probably aware, Lufthansa is in the process of introducing its new Allegris cabins, but that hasn’t exactly happened so smoothly:

• Lufthansa’s new business class, which was first announced in 2017, has been introduced as of May 2024
• Lufthansa’s new first class is now expected to be introduced in the fall of 2024, due to supply chain delays; these A350-900s are initially entering service with the area of the first class cabin empty

That’s where this gets interesting — Lufthansa’s plan is not to install Allegris seats on its Airbus A380s, but rather to install a whole different new business class product. This decision is due to delays with the Allegris seats. We know that Lufthansa plans to pick a “generic” seat that’s available with a bit less lead time and design required. So, which seat will Lufthansa select?

Lufthansa intends to introduce Thompson Aero Vantage XL seats, similar to what you’ll find on the carrier’s small Airbus A350 fleet that was inherited from Philippine Airlines.

This makes sense, given that this is an “off the shelf” product, and on top of that, it has already been certified on the A380, and is offered on airlines like Qantas.

Previously there had been talk of Lufthansa selecting the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat for its A380s, similar to what you’ll find on the carrier’s small Boeing 787 fleet that was inherited from Hainan Airlines. This has also been certified on the A380, and is offered on airlines like Qatar Airways.

Lufthansa also has plans to reconfigure some other existing planes, including the Boeing 747-8. However, those planes will be getting the new Allegris seats, though the timeline remains to be seen.

Bottom line

Lufthansa plans to keep its Airbus A380s around for years to come, and the plan is to introduce a new business class product on these aircraft. The first A380s with these cabins should enter service in 2025. The first two jets to get the new product are the planes that haven’t yet been reactivated.

Lufthansa will introduce the Thompson Aero Vantage XL seat on A380s, which is a significant improvement over the product you’ll currently find on these jets.

What do you make of Lufthansa’s plans for a new A380 business class?