Lufthansa plans new first class suites for Boeing 777X?

Lufthansa is expected to roll out a new first class suite on its long-range Boeing 777X fleet, although the initial deliveries of the 777-9 series will top out at business class.

This will of course be the Star Alliance member's all-new business class, which will begin flying from 2020 and offer not just direct aisle access for every passenger but a series of  solo 'throne' seats in the middle of the cabin, providing additional privacy and added personal space on either side of the passenger.

Lufthansa's all-new Boeing 777X business class

Those early 777-9s will arrive without first class "because they will replace elderly aircraft that also don’t have a First Class cabin”, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr commented on the sidelines of an airline conference in Berlin.

Lufthansa plans to have seven Boeing 777-9s delivered across 2020, with those jets based in either Frankfurt or Munich, but a second tranche of 777-9s is tipped from 2021 will see the debut of new first class suites.

"In general, we want to keep the share of First Class-equipped aircraft in Lufthansa’s long-haul fleet at the current 50 percent," Spohr added.

Lufthansa is a prestigious launch customer for the Boeing 777-9

Lufthansa had previously considered replacing first class with a 'Business Plus' cabin on some Boeing 777-9 jets flying routes with insufficient demand for a full first class cabin.

However, "first class is developing better than we’d imagined three or four years back," Spohr told Lufthansa staff in a recent briefing. "We’re looking at routes where it makes sense, where we have the customers who want it."

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.