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Lufthansa Sets A380 Business-Class Retrofit With Thompson Seats, First Jet Back in April 2026

The carrier chose pre-certified Vantage XL seats instead of Allegris to accelerate deployment without additional approvals.

Overview

  • Work begins in February 2026 at Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden, starting with aircraft D-AIMC, with reentry to service targeted for April.
  • All eight A380s are slated to complete the business-class refit by mid-2027 under a defined schedule.
  • The new Thompson Aero Vantage XL seats provide direct aisle access, 58 cm width, at least two meters of bed length, Bluetooth connectivity, and flexible partitions.
  • Business class on the A380s will decrease from 78 to 68 seats, with first, premium economy, and economy remaining largely unchanged.
  • Lufthansa also plans new seats across all cabins on its Boeing 747-8s and Airbus A350-900s as part of a broader long-haul cabin renewal.