Lufthansa’s Allegris has been one of the most troubled aircraft interior projects in recent history. The nose-to-tail refurbishment of the German flag carrier’s cabins was initially revealed in 2017 to debut in 2020 on the Boeing 777-9. This was delayed again and again until Lufthansa finally decided to debut the new interiors on the Airbus A350-900 in 2024, to positive feedback. However, the carrier experienced significant delays with receiving the first class suites (which have since been resolved), and now, Lufthansa is having issues with the business class seats on the Boeing 787.

Allegris was first introduced on the Airbus A350-900 and will be installed on all future A350 deliveries. In addition, older A350s will be retrofitted. Lufthansa intends to operate a total of 29 Boeing 787-9s with the Allegris cabin, of which eight have been delivered. Another five 787s are already in service with different seats, which are to be transferred to Austrian Airlines. In addition, Allegris will be installed on the Boeing 777-9 and will be retrofitted onto the Boeing 747-8, while SWISS’ Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s will also receive the same seats, branded as SWISS Senses.

Overview Of Lufthansa Allegris

Credit: Shutterstock

Lufthansa Allegris is the name of the carrier’s full interior refurbishment project. It includes new Recaro CL3810 seats for economy, replacing aging CL3510 models, and new ZIMprivacy PC-02 fixed-shell recliner seats in premium economy to replace older ZIMmagic seats, as well as a custom first class product. The biggest change, however, is in the business class section. Lufthansa is finally replacing the Collins Diamond seats currently found on most aircraft, arranged six-abreast or seven-abreast depending on type, with a new seat that offers full direct aisle access.

The bespoke seat model is based on the IP for the Safran Optima, notably used by Air France, El Al, Ethiopian Airlines, and United Airlines, in that it features a staggered layout alternating between forward-facing seats and seats angled towards the aisle. Unique to Lufthansa Allegris, however, is that the configuration varies between four-abreast and three-abreast. The Boeing 747-8, with its wider fuselage, will be the notable exception as business class will be configured four-abreast in all rows, strongly resembling the Safran Optima.

With Allegris, Lufthansa is offering five different types of business class seats, an unprecedented level of optionality. Classic seats are angled towards the aisle, while Extra Long Bed seats are the same as the Classic seats, but offer a deeper footwell. Privacy seats face forward and are closest to the window, while Extra Space seats are the center seats in the three-abreast rows. Finally, the Business Suites are front-row options with privacy doors, higher partitions, an ottoman, and a larger screen. All of these seats, except for the Classic option, come with a surcharge.

Allegris Challenges With The Boeing 787

Credit: Shutterstock

Lufthansa has been taking delivery of new Airbus A350-900s that feature a four-class layout with the full Allegris cabins, configured with four first class seats, 38 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 201 economy seats, for a total capacity of 267 passengers, as per aeroLOPA. It’s now also taking delivery of new Boeing 787-9s, configured in a three-class layout with 28 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, and 231 economy seats, for a total of 287 seats.

For months, Lufthansa was unable to take delivery of these planes after they were completed, as the carrier was unable to certify the business class seats on these planes. Certification challenges are hardly surprising in the industry today, due to heightened regulator scrutiny as well as the increasing complexity and customization of modern premium seats. For Lufthansa, however, the delay grew and grew until, in August 2025, it decided to begin taking the planes anyway.

When the Dreamliners began flying Lufthansa’s passengers in October, the carrier was selling just four business class seats: the Business Suites in the front of the plane. This arrangement has persisted since then. On February 16, 2026, the carrier announced that it would begin selling 25 of the 28 business class seats, with these seats available from April 15. It’s unclear whether this means that the rest of the cabin has been certified or that certification is expected before this date. In addition, the three seats in row two will still be unavailable.

Related

Lufthansa To Receive 1st Allegris Boeing 787 In September With New Business Class Blocked Off

A significant portion of the aircraft’s Allegris business class seats will be unavailable upon entry into service.

Why Is Lufthansa Struggling With Certifying Allegris

Credit: Shutterstock

As previously mentioned, airlines and manufacturers as a whole are struggling with new seat certification. Delta Air Lines, for instance, has been keeping new three-class Airbus A321neo aircraft in storage due to certification delays with the Safran VUE business class seat, and will be installing additional premium economy/domestic first class seats in their place for domestic flights until the VUE is certified. Lufthansa Allegris, however, is arguably the project most impacted by the new regulatory environment.

What’s odd is that the Allegris business class seat is already certified and flying on the Airbus A350, but despite looking identical, the A350 seats are not the same as those on the 787. Lufthansa is partnering with three different companies to produce Allegris business class seats: Stelia Aerospace is building the A350 and Boeing 747 seats, while Thompson Aero Seating will do the Boeing 777 seats. Collins Aerospace, meanwhile, is manufacturing the seats for the Boeing 787 (as well as the SWISS Airbus A330 fleet).

The Collins Allegris seats need to be certified, separately from the Stelia seats currently flying on the A350, and on top of that, Lufthansa elected to offer five different types of seats. Not only do the seats on the Boeing 787 need distinct certification from those on the A350, but all five seat types need to be individually certified as well. This has dramatically increased the certification timeline for Lufthansa, resulting in countless delays and increasing the carrier’s overall costs.

Overall Challenges With Lufthansa Allegris

Credit: Shutterstock

The Allegris cabins, which won Lufthansa a five-star SkyTrax rating in 2017, were intended to debut with the Boeing 777-9 in 2020. This aircraft has been delayed for years, and its current entry into service is projected for 2027. In 2024, roughly seven years after the project was first announced, Lufthansa debuted Allegris on the Airbus A350-900, but these planes initially lacked a first class cabin. This was due to Collins Aerospace, the manufacturer of the first class seats, experiencing delays due to supply chain constraints.

In the front, the A350s originally flew with a row of unoccupied economy seats until the first class suites could be delivered, and the first few examples were later retrofitted. Further back, the first row of economy seats also had to be blocked off, as these seats require special seatbelts with airbags due to being located directly behind a row of hardshell premium economy seats with no partition, seatbelts that were not initially certified.

The challenges with certifying Allegris on the Boeing 787 are well documented, and this may be the biggest challenge faced by Allegris. However, SWISS has also been experiencing problems with Allegris, branded as SWISS Senses. More specifically, the carrier will be reconfiguring its Airbus A330 fleet, featuring first class, business class, and premium economy. However, the first class suites are reportedly so heavy that SWISS will need to install a 3,000-pound (1,361-kilogram) weight in the plane’s tail for weight & balance purposes.

Related

Lufthansa Announces New Allegris US Destinations: Charlotte, Newark & San Diego

The upgraded product will be available on flights from Munich.

Issues With Lufthansa Allegris On The Double Deckers

Credit: Shutterstock

Immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic, Lufthansa committed to keeping its Boeing 747-8 fleet while retiring the Airbus A340, Airbus A380, and Boeing 747-400. Since then, however, new aircraft delivery delays have forced the airline to keep most of its quads. While the A340s and 747-400s will still go, the A380s are now projected to remain in the Lufthansa fleet until the 2030s. But with the A380, Lufthansa didn’t bother attempting to adapt Allegris to the A380’s upper deck, instead opting for the Thompson Vantage XL in business class and leaving the rest of the plane as is.

The Boeing 747-8 has a wider main deck than the Boeing 777, but its upper deck is similar in width to a narrowbody, meaning that adapting a business class seat to work efficiently on both decks can be challenging. Lufthansa’s unusual plan to refurbish the 747-8 will see it initially installing Allegris business class seats only on the lower deck, while the upper deck business class seats, as well as the rest of the aircraft, will remain untouched. In either 2027 or 2028, the 747-8s will go back into the shop and receive a full nose-to-tail refurbishment.

Under this two-part plan, Lufthansa’s 747-8s will fly with two separate seat models on the same plane, which is practically unheard of in the industry. This plan is also temporary, since the second round of reconfigurations will see Lufthansa install Allegris on the upper deck. Furthermore, the carrier is expected to use a modified first class seat product rather than the standard Allegris model for the 747.