Lufthansa Resolves Certification Issues, Begins Selling Complex 787 Business Class Seats

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After months of having most of its lucrative business class cabin on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner blocked from sale due to certification issues, Lufthansa has resolved the problem and will begin selling tickets for the Allegris business class on the 787 starting April 15. The complex Allegris cabin features five different staggered seat configurations, some with doors or extra legroom, that proved challenging to certify for quick passenger evacuation on the Dreamliner's slightly different geometry compared to the Airbus A350 where Allegris first launched.

Why it matters

Lufthansa's Allegris business class is a key part of the airline's multi-year turnaround plan, and having a large portion of this lucrative cabin sitting empty on its 787 Dreamliners has been a significant financial headache. The certification issues highlight the complexities airlines face in rolling out new premium cabin products, especially on aircraft with unique design characteristics like the 787.

The details

Lufthansa's new Allegris business class first launched on the Airbus A350 in May 2024, featuring a variety of seat configurations across the entire cabin. The first Allegris-equipped 787 Dreamliner followed in October 2025, but certification of the business class took much longer due to the cabin's complexity, with five different staggered seat layouts, some with doors or extra legroom. This made it challenging to demonstrate to regulators that passengers could evacuate quickly from every seat in an emergency, given the 787's slightly different fuselage geometry compared to the A350. As a result, for months Lufthansa could only sell 4 of the 28 business class seats on the 787, leaving the remaining 24 empty and essentially leaving money on the table.

• Lufthansa's Allegris business class first launched on the Airbus A350 in May 2024.
• The first Allegris-equipped Boeing 787 Dreamliner followed in October 2025.
• Beginning April 15, 2026, Lufthansa plans to begin selling tickets for 25 of the 28 business class seats on its 787 Dreamliners.

What’s next

Lufthansa expects to have 29 Allegris-equipped Boeing 787 Dreamliners by the end of 2027, with the new business class cabins set to first fly routes from Frankfurt to destinations like Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Cape Town, Shanghai, Hyderabad, Hong Kong, and Austin. New York-JFK, Los Angeles, and Delhi will be added to the Allegris 787 route network in the coming months.