Lufthansa to Retrofit A380 Fleet with New Business Class

FRANKFURT — Lufthansa (LH) will begin upgrading the Business Class cabins of its eight Airbus A380 aircraft in early February, marking the first step in a broader cabin modernization program across its long-haul fleet.

The work will be carried out at Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden, with the first aircraft entering modification next month. Lufthansa expects that jet to return to service from Munich in April, after routine maintenance and the cabin refit are completed.

New Business Class Seat Specs

Each A380 will receive 68 new Business Class seats supplied by Thompson, replacing the current angled layout with a configuration that gives every passenger direct aisle access. According to LH, the new seats will offer a width of 58 cm, convert into beds at least two meters long, and include Bluetooth audio connectivity and adjustable privacy partitions.

Because the new seat already holds the required certification, Lufthansa does not need to undertake a lengthy approval process for the aircraft installation. That allows the airline to put the first retrofitted A380 into passenger service within weeks of the initial work beginning.

Cabin Configuration

The refit does not change the aircraft’s overall premium-heavy layout. After modification, each LH A380 will continue to carry:

8 seats in First Class
68 seats in Business Class
52 seats in Premium Economy
371 seats in Economy

Lufthansa plans to complete the upgrades on all eight aircraft by mid-2027, rotating them through Dresden one by one. Alongside the cabin work, each aircraft will also undergo scheduled technical checks during its time in the hangar.

The A380 retrofit is part of LH’s wider fleet renewal and product update that also includes new seats for the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A350-900. For now, the focus is on getting the first upgraded superjumbo back into regular long-haul service from Munich this spring.