Lufthansa Technik takes inflight comfort to new heights by placing people at the centre of the story in its new A350 VIP cabin concept

Lufthansa Technik has pushed the boundaries in VIP interiors with the launch of a new concept that turns a jet into a virtual home in the skies.

The new A350 VIP cabin interior concept called ‘Welcome Home’ is being launched at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (Ebace 2016), which gets under way in Geneva, Switzerland, tomorrow.

"This unique VIP cabin concept not only addresses our customers' requirements, but is also a clear proof of Lufthansa Technik's design and engineering competency. Under the slogan ‘Driven by Design, enriched by Technical Product Innovations’, many of our own products, like the ‘Chair’ VIP seat, the steam shower and our inductive cooking plate have been integrated in this cabin,” says Wieland Timm, Vice President Sales VIP & Special Mission Aircraft at Lufthansa Technik. 

He adds: "Travel time should become quality time. For many of our clients time is a rare commodity and family is immensely important. A demanding lifestyle that requires frequent travelling and constant high attention to business and other topics must be balanced by valued family time and relaxation in a healthy environment. The Welcome Home concept offers the perfect cabin to fulfill these different aspects." 

‘Welcome Home’ was created following extensive surveys about potential customers and as such has been tailored to the needs of the market, says Lufthansa Technik interior architect Michael Reichenecker, who designed the cabin. 

“Today’s VIP customers are younger. They tend to lead a stressful life; are often married and have children,” he tells Arabian Knight. “All these points played into the concept of this aircraft.”

“We call it Welcome Home because we designed this aircraft for family and private use. It’s an aircraft for the VIP, his close family and friends.”

Focused on health and well-being, the concept strives to make people feel at home in the sky, with a private space for the family, innovative lighting, the ability to cook fresh food, a cinema, and even the luxury of a ‘spa’.

Working on the dictum that the family takes pride of place, Lufthansa Technik incorporated an area in the front of the plane - which is also the quietest part of the aircraft – especially for the family. 

"The idea is much more than just a healthy surrounding in an aircraft. We strive to create a flying experience that lets you arrive more relaxed and strengthened then when you start the journey.

"Environment and materials, food quality, relaxation and noise, smell and other factors have an impact on how we humans feel. So taking into account the specific requirements our customers have, the design solution must result in a combination of features that can all potentially cater to a higher sense of well-being."

Consequently, the first design priority was to move away from the ever adding of box type rooms and instead to create more flexible areas that can be opened and combined for better social interaction and closed for full privacy if so desired. 

Located in the most favorable area in regard to noise and aircraft movement, the front part of the aircraft, the ‘Family Flex Area’ facilitates a large and airy private space comparable to an expensive hotel suite. 

“This area takes about a third of the aircraft’s space,” Reichenecker points out.

An office within this area focuses on private conversations or interactive video conferencing, allowing the VIP to place himself in the midst of his staff whenever required.

The guest lounge includes the dining area and entertains with a cinema-size screen and offers a new lighting approach. In Lufthansa Technik's patent pending new ‘Living Lining’ concept ceilings and walls themselves turn into lighting elements. Dedicated areas such as the ceiling over the dining table can be specifically lit up, while other areas are moodily dimmed down. Imitations of clouds can be depicted, even animated, and aside of presets any individual lighting requirement can be reproduced. 

Adjacent to the guest lounge is a bar.

Welcome Home also sets new standards in regard to healthy on board food preparation. Lufthansa Technik's new induction platform has been integrated and allows for fresh food cooking on board. The all-in-one solution includes a power unit, an exhaust fan and a special cover, which ensures that pots and pans remain in place even during turbulence.  

Aft of the plane lies a large spa area which welcomes guests with a humidifying water feature and otherwise offers a relaxing steam bath, a massage shower, and a massage table that may also double as a passenger transport unit (PTU) if so required. Top sound quality and individual lighting let guests immerse fully in a deeply relaxing surrounding. 

The whole cabin comprises about 270 sq m (about 2,900 sq ft). Despite the fact that the design was originally developed for an A350 cabin, the flexibility of the concept allows the adaption to other wide-body aircraft, too.

“The idea is that we want to give the VIP the ability to spend quality time with his family, look after his health and get off the plane more relaxed than when he got on,” says Reichenecker.

Due to certification requirements, the use of materials can be somewhat restricted but Lufthansa Technik still sees large potential in how material is applied to specific forms.

In the concept, it has used bleached and brushed oak as one of the main woods for walls. Linings surfaces have a soft touch that also improves noise dampening, and seats come in top quality leather or fabrics. Decorative panels have a stacked appearance to mimic natural growth, doors covered in leather which seems to be wrapped around in a turban style. This allows for a better perception of the materials thus creating a home like feeling.  The objective is to combine soft materials with even more soft materials or satin surfaces with matte. The contrasts may become more prominent on second sight and can add to a feeling of comfort.

In addition to its VVIP cabin completion capabilities for the Airbus A350, Lufthansa Technik is already offering a broad portfolio of maintenance, repair and overhaul services to various commercial carriers for this aircraft type.


CORE COMPETENCIES 

At Ebace, Lufthansa Technik is spotlighting all its core competencies – from refurbishment and modifications on VIP and special mission aircraft to innovation and bespoke services - as well as a new dedicated service for used aircraft.

Under this service, Lufthansa Technik will help source an aircraft, inspect the jet to make sure it’s in good condition and then outfit it to the customer’s desires, says Timm.

The proposition makes sound sense as Lufthansa Technik are experts on aircraft, inside and out, says Timm, adding that he expects this new service to find favour with VIP customers.

Lufthansa will also outline the progress on its Mercedes Benz cabin concept which and features a “host of innovative ideas that have never been done before”.


MARKET SHARE

Turning to business and market prospects, Timm says Luthansa Technik has been busy refurbishing several existing aircraft, as customers await deliveries of new ACJ NEOs and BBJ MAX jets which will enter the market over the next few years.

The work include completions, maintenance and refurbishment on existing VIP and special mission aircraft.

“We’ve also had a lot of requests for Medevac modifications on Head of State and special projects aircraft,” he says, adding that Lufthansa Technik has been in this market for several years and so has a “stable share” through its own dedicated products “from A to Z” such as PTUs (patient transport units).

The Middle East continues to be Lufthansa Technik’s biggest market for VIP completions, especially among VVIP clients who settle for nothing less than lavish wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 747s, he says.

“We have done VVIP completions on A330s, 777s and A340s as well,” he says adding that Lufthansa Technik remains very much the market leader in this area of business.

Asia, however, has emerged as a bigger market for narrow-body jets with Lufthansa Technik having completed more than 30 aircraft for customers in the region.

“There is a lot of money and they are investing,” he says.

Lufthansa Technique’s expertise in cabin completions is unrivalled as the company has a wide portfolio catering to every need, says Timm. 

“For instance, we offer the fastest VIP cabin in the world called the Elite,” he says. “It’s a modular system that that needs just five months to complete.”

At the other end of the spectrum, a lavish VVIP completion on a widebody aircraft for a Middle East customer could take up to two years!

In fact Lufthansa Technik has completed as many as twenty-five 747s, with the 26^th – a 747-8 – scheduled for delivery by the end of the year.

And while Lufthansa Technik has also kept the superjumbo in mind and done concept studies for a VVIP A380, Timm admits that that have been no takers to date. However he feels the A380 could have a role to play in luxury air travel of the future where well-heeled holidaymakers hop off cruise ships and onto huge luxury planes that fly them across the world and wine and dine them at 30,000 feet high.

“We’d have to wait and see, when the first A380s go into the second-hand market,” he concludes.