Lufthansa is upgrading its A320 fleet. Photo: Lufthansa Lufthansa continues its broad push to upgrade the flight experience on short- and medium-haul routes, announcing a retrofit program for 38 Airbus A320 aircraft in its fleet.
As part of the upgrade, the aircraft will be fitted with new seats made by Italian manufacturer Geven, significantly larger overhead storage compartments, USB sockets at every seat, and dedicated facilities for tablets and smartphones. According to the company, the A320 family is the largest in its fleet, which is why it decided to invest in an extensive renewal of the aircraft operating on short- and medium-haul routes.
Work began last spring and is expected to continue until 2029. The first aircraft to undergo the full conversion, an A320 with the registration D AIZY, returned to regular service in mid-February. The retrofit process for each aircraft takes an average of 30 days, during which about 1,000 different components from about 100 suppliers are installed.
Significantly larger storage compartments as part of the A320 fleet upgrade. Photo: LufthansaNotable changes include new ergonomically designed seats with horizontally adjustable headrests. In Business class, seats feature extra-wide reclining backrests. In addition, the new storage compartments are 40% larger and provide standing luggage storage, increasing capacity and streamlining the boarding process.
Each seat on the upgraded aircraft includes USB Type A and C sockets for charging mobile devices, as well as a dedicated device holder for a tablet or smartphone, to allow convenient viewing of content during the flight on personal devices.
New sockets for charging mobile devices. Photo: Lufthansa"Our ambition is clear: We want to offer our guests a premium experience on short- and medium-haul routes as well," said Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter. "The A320 family is our largest fleet, that's why we're investing in the modernization of more than 30 aircraft. We're presenting our guests with a modern, high-quality cabin whose design is inspired by our new long-haul deliveries. Our guests can look forward to more comfort and significantly more space for their carry-on baggage."
New charging sockets. Photo: Lufthansa