From announcement to deployment, Lufthansa has been quick to get its first Airbus A380 with new business class seating out into the field.
Dubbed Premium XXL, Lufthansa has been working with its partners to retrofit a completely new business class seat for the largest aircraft in its fleet – the Airbus A380.
The first aircraft to undergo the retrofit was D-AMIC, with Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) conducting the works. It was from the EFW facility in Dresden back to the aircraft’s base in Munich. After a two-day break, it was sent on its first flight, operating to Los Angeles, then Washington DC and most recently, Boston.
Foto: © 2026 Michael Schmidt – www.schmidt.fm – Provided by Lufthansa Group
The new business class cabin features the Thompson Aero Seating VantageXL seat. The new seats feature a seat width of 58 cm, a bed length of at least two meters, and a flexible partition.
Cabin forward view
Side view, with direct aisle access
Forward side view
Each of the 68 seats is directly accessible from the aisle.
In addition, the in-flight entertainment system has been upgraded. In Business Class, guests can now enjoy feature films, TV series, music, digital newspapers and magazines on an 18-inch Panasonic screen and can also listen to their own headphones via Bluetooth.
Also new are an interactive 3D moving map, cinema-quality sound, flight cameras, and a new intuitive user interface in all cabin classes.
Next aircraft heading in, through 2027
With the retrofit completed in under 12 weeks (and the programme commencing in February), it’s been a fast turnaround to get the next aircraft in the maintenance shop (and a lot faster than “Allegris-style products” have been turned around).
Work on modernising the next aircraft, D-AIMH “Mike-Hotel” in its blue anniversary livery featuring the XXL crane, began on the very same day that the D-AIMC returned, meaning that two Lufthansa A380s were in Dresden on Tuesday.
The retrofit program began in early February in Dresden. In addition to the modernisation of the Business Class, routine maintenance work is also being performed on the aircraft.
You’ll need to keep an eye on the seatmaps, however, as it will be some time before the retrofit is completed. As it stands, all eight A380s are scheduled to be retrofitted by mid-2027.
For passengers, this will mark an uplift (well, if you’re in business class) in seating experience, whilst there are some nice IFE updates in the rest of the cabin, whilst Thompson Aero Seating gets to show off its fast turnaround for a pre-certified seat, taking to the air.
As for Lufthansa, it’s a chance to refresh its largest fleet member. Given the increasing fuel costs, however, we’ll have to see if they hang around…
Images, Interior images, Lufthansa Group
Hanger Photo Michael Schmidt – www.schmidt.fm – Provided by Lufthansa Group
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