MUNICH- Lufthansa (LH) has launched its Airbus A380 Business Class retrofit program, installing new Thompson Aero Seating seats with a 58 cm width, a minimum two-metre bed length, and direct aisle access for all 68 passengers.
The first upgraded aircraft, registered D-AIMC, departed Munich Airport (MUC) for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Thursday, April 23, operating as flight LH452.
The retrofit work is underway at Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden (DRS), where the program started in early February. Lufthansa (LH) plans to complete all eight of its A380 aircraft by mid-2027, combining the cabin modernization with scheduled heavy maintenance checks.
Photo: Lufthansa
Lufthansa New A380 Business Class
The new Business Class on the Lufthansa (LH) A380 marks a significant upgrade over the previous configuration. Thompson Aero Seating supplies the new seats, which offer 58 cm of width and a fully flat bed measuring at least two metres in length.
Flexible partitions between seats provide adjustable privacy, allowing passengers to customize their personal space during the flight.
All 68 Business Class seats feature direct aisle access, eliminating the need to step over fellow passengers. Lufthansa describes this as the most comfortable Business Class ever installed on its A380 fleet. The layout prioritizes personal space and accessibility across every row in the cabin.
Photo: Lufthansa
Upgraded In-Flight Entertainment Across All Cabins
Beyond the seating upgrade, Lufthansa has installed a new in-flight entertainment system in the A380. Business Class passengers now have access to an 18-inch Panasonic display screen for watching films, television series, and accessing digital newspapers and magazines.
The system also supports Bluetooth connectivity, enabling passengers to use their personal headphones during the flight.
Additional entertainment features include an interactive 3D moving map, cinema-quality audio, and live flight camera feeds.
A redesigned user interface across all cabin classes makes navigation more intuitive. These improvements apply to every travel class on the retrofitted A380, not just Business Class.
Photo: Lufthansa
First Retrofitted A380 Enters Commercial Service
The first aircraft to complete the retrofit, D-AIMC (nicknamed “Mike-Charly”), finished its cabin overhaul in just under twelve weeks.
Following a ferry flight to Munich (MUC) two days before its commercial debut, the aircraft departed as flight LH452 at 12:15 p.m. local time on April 23, arriving in Los Angeles (LAX) at approximately 3:15 p.m. local time.
On the same day “Mike-Charly” completed its retrofit, work began on the second aircraft, D-AIMH (“Mike-Hotel”). This A380 wears the airline’s blue anniversary livery featuring the XXL crane design. Both aircraft were present at the Dresden (DRS) facility on Tuesday, marking a brief overlap in the program schedule.
Photo: By Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland – Lufthansa Airbus A380-841; D-AIMC@FRA;06.07.2011/603bi, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26715895
Full Fleet Retrofit Timeline and Maintenance Scope
Lufthansa (LH) operates a fleet of eight Airbus A380s, and all of them are scheduled for the cabin retrofit by mid-2027. The Elbe Flugzeugwerke facility in Dresden (DRS) handles the entire program, which began in early February 2025.
In addition to the Business Class modernization and entertainment system upgrade, each aircraft undergoes routine maintenance during the retrofit period.
This combined approach reduces the total out-of-service time for each A380 by addressing both cabin and airframe requirements in a single visit.
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