Lufthansa’s First Airbus A380 with Refreshed Business Class Cabin Takes to the Skies
- Joe Breitfeller

- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Lufthansa has announced the completion of the modernization of the first of eight Airbus A380 super jumbo jets. The inaugural flight of the first refreshed A380 took place on April 23, 2026, with service from Munich to Los Angeles.

On Thursday (April 23, 2026), Lufthansa announced the completion of the retrofit of their first of eight A380s, featuring new Business Class seats on the upper deck. Business Class on the A380 will offer even more comfort and privacy at a new premium level. The new Thompson seats feature a seat width of 58 cm, a bed length of at least two meters, and flexible partition, making this the most comfortable Business Class in the A380 ever. Additionally, each of the 68 seats offer direct aisle access, as well as un upgraded inflight entertainment (IFE) system. Guests can now enjoy feature films, TV series, music, digital newspapers and magazines on an 18-inch Panasonic screen and can also use their own headphones via Bluetooth. The upgraded IFE system also features an interactive 3D moving map, cinema-quality sound, flight cameras, and a new intuitive user interface in all cabin classes.
After just under twelve weeks, the retrofit of the first A380 was completed. Work on modernizing the next aircraft, D-AIMH 'Mike-Hotel' in its blue anniversary livery featuring the XXL crane, began on the very same day, meaning that two Lufthansa A380s were in Dresden on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The retrofit program began in early February at the Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden. In addition to the Business Class refresh, routine maintenance work is also being performed on the aircraft. All eight Lufthansa A380s are scheduled to be retrofitted by mid-2027.
Lufthansa's First Airbus A380 Featuring New Upper Deck Thompson Business Class Seats Re-Entered Service on Thursday, April 23, 2026 - Courtesy Lufthansa
When the retrofit was completed, the first refreshed A380 (registration D-AIMC) was ferried to Munich before conducting its first passenger revenue service to Los Angeles on Thursday, April 23, 2026. The aircraft departed Munich as flight LH452 at 12:15 and landed in Los Angeles at approximately 15:15 p.m. (all times local).
Source: Lufthansa
















