Lufthansa to upgrade A380 with new business class

The superjumbos will be upgraded to feature new Allegris business class suites and ‘thrones’.

By David Flynn, September 18 2023
Lufthansa to upgrade A380 with new business class

Lufthansa’s Airbus A380s are set to remain flying for years to come, with the airline confirming it will invest in upgrading all eight superjumbos with its latest Allegris business class.

The German flag-carrier has joined Etihad and Qatar Airways in rolling its double-decker jets out of mothballs to cope with the surge in post-pandemic travel and a backlog of deliveries from Airbus and Boeing.

The Boeing 777X, which was meant to replace the superjumbo as the biggest jet in Lufthansa’s lineup, has slipped five years behind schedule, with deliveries now postponed to 2025.

The upper deck of Lufthansa's A380s will eventually boast these new Allegris business class seats.
The upper deck of Lufthansa's A380s will eventually boast these new Allegris business class seats.

And in a sign that the superjumbos are here to stay for at least many years to come, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has confirmed all eight of the Munich-based A380s will take to the skies again by next year (with six of the original 14-strong fleet sold back to Airbus).

“The plane will fly longer than we thought when we brought the first one back a year ago,” Spohr remarked at a press conference last week, as reported by German publication Aerotelegraph, adding that feedback from travellers on the A380s remains positive.

“If it were up to our customers, there could be even more” A380s in the LH fleet, Spohr admitted.

Spohr confirmed the Airbus A380 would join the Boeing 747-8 in being retrofitted with the Star Alliance member’s new Allegris business class seats, which will replace the current out-dated 2-2-2 configuration on the superjumbo’s upper deck with the same ‘seats to suit’ approach as on the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 jets.

A top-down view of the varied seating choices in Lufthansa's Allegris business class.
A top-down view of the varied seating choices in Lufthansa's Allegris business class.

This will see choosing your business class seat no longer being a simple matter of ‘window or aisle’ – instead, Allegris offers travellers as many as seven variations on its new business class seat, based on factors such as space and privacy.

It’s all in the name of “personalisation and choice”, the airline says, arguing that different passengers have different needs – and those needs can also vary depending on if a flight runs during the day or overnight.

Lufthansa's Allegris business class offers a wide variety of seating options.
Lufthansa's Allegris business class offers a wide variety of seating options.

The multi-million dollar refit is necessary “to remain sustainably profitable”, Spohr explained, adding that the A380s would now be part of Lufthansa’s fleet “for the long term.”

Spohr didn’t indicate if the A380 would also swap out the eight open first class suites at the front of the upper deck for the fully-private Allegris first class berths – although the cabin width is almost identical to the nose of the 747-8, where Lufthansa will fit a modified version of the Allegris first suite which has been “optimised because of the different shape” of the jumbo’s first class cabin.

“It won’t be the exact same product” Lufthansa’s Heads of Customer Experience Kai Peters told Executive Traveller on the sidelines of the Allegris launch in Berlin.

Lufthansa's Allegris first class includes this wider two-passenger 'cuddle class' suite in the middle of the 1-1-1 layout.
Lufthansa's Allegris first class includes this wider two-passenger 'cuddle class' suite in the middle of the 1-1-1 layout.

The same Allegris first and business class suites are also making their way to sibling Swiss from 2025, albeit styled to reflect Swiss’ own palette of colours, textures and materials. 

Spohr has previously said the 747-8 will continue to fly “well into the coming decade”, which could also be the case for the A380, although he hasn’t indicated when the A380 refurbishment would begin.

As previously reported, A380 stalwarts Emirates and Qantas have also indicated their A380s would enter retirement across 2032-2033.

05 Jan 2018

Total posts 57

“If it were up to our customers, there could be even more”. Too true. This is what the overwhelming proportion of most everyone I know who's ever flown the A380 wants. Sadly we'll end up getting 777s and the like. Bean counters for the win.

Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer

14 Jan 2014

Total posts 341

Rotate I couldn’t agree more with your comment!! Well said 


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