Coming Soon: Lufthansa Boeing 787 With New Business Class

This will be an exciting milestone for the airline as this will eventually become a significant portion of the carrier's long haul fleet. Another type of interim long haul business class product will be on this plane. We know what we know.

Lufthansa has 32 Boeing 787-9s on order

Dozens of new long haul aircraft have been ordered by Lufthansa in the last few years. Some of the planes are likely to go to Austrian and SWISS, though we don't have an exact breakdown.

In addition to the carrier's current A350-900 fleet, there are an additional 26 A350-900s on order. The 20 Boeing 777-9s that Lufthansa has on order are now delayed until at least the year 2025.

Most of the A350 and 787-9 orders are for factory fresh planes, but Lufthansa opportunistically picked up some planes intended for other airlines.

• Lufthansa picked up four former Philippine Airlines Airbus A350-900s; the airline was in bankruptcy protection and wanted to get rid of some long haul jets, so presumably Lufthansa got a great deal on these planes
• Lufthansa picked up five Boeing 787-9s that had already been manufactured and were intended for other airlines; specifically, these are planes that were initially intended for China’s Hainan Airlines, and then intended for India’s Vistara Arlines, before eventually being purchased by Lufthansa

The first Boeing 787 entering service has been updated by the airline. The plane will be called "Berlin" and has the registration code D-ABPA. It is expected to be delivered to Lufthansa this summer.

The cabin of the plane will be refurbished several weeks after delivery. Before starting long haul flights the plane will be used for training on domestic German routes. Toronto is the first long haul destination.

The delivery of this plane was supposed to happen in 2021. I don't think this plane will be in service before late 2022.

Lufthansa’s new interim Boeing 787 business class

There is a new business class product that isn't available on any planes. The product was supposed to debut on the Boeing 777-9, but that plane has been delayed by at least five years.

The plan is for the business class product to be installed on A350s and 787s by mid-2023.

We don't know what to expect from the five Boeing 787s that will be delivered by Lufthansa in the coming months. Direct aisle access for all guests in business class is promised by the airline.

Since these planes were originally intended for Hainan Airlines, I think it is highly likely that they will have the same seats as they were intended to have.

The current standard business class product is in a 2-2-2 configuration.

It is interesting that there will be product inconsistency in long haul business class. There is a new business class that has been inherited from Philippine Airlines. Direct aisle access is included in these seats.

Isn't it interesting that the only way to improve its business class product is by "inheriting" premium products from other airlines?

The first Boeing 787-9 will be delivered by the airline. The original interiors for the first five jets were intended for other airlines, so you can expect the same for the remaining ones. The second interim business class product that Lufthansa is introducing this year will be a reverse herringbone configuration.

The new business class product will be launched in 2023 on new A350s and 787-9s.

What do you think about the Boeing deliveries?