Finally! Lufthansa can sell (most of) its Boeing 787-9 Allegris business class seats
February 17, 2026
Lufthansa has announced it has received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to sell all but three of the 28 seats in its new Allegris business class on its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The German flag carrier has been operating the aircraft with all but four of the seats blocked, pending regulatory approval.
Lufthansa CEO “delighted” with FAA approval of most business class seats onboard
The airline has been operating its Boeing 787-9s with Allegris from Frankfurt since October 9, 2025, with 24 seats blocked. It could not sell those seats until the FAA completed its review of the new cabin. At the end of January, Lufthansa said the full cabin might be able to fly by spring, though there were concerns that regulatory processes could delay the launch to summer.
Operating the aircraft without a full business-class cabin during a peak travel period would result in a significant revenue loss for Lufthansa. Securing approval to sell 25 cabin seats is a significant advantage.
“Our guests love Allegris. More than one million passengers have travelled in the new cabin since summer 2024,” said Jens Ritter, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Airlines, in the airline’s announcement. “We are delighted to be able to offer significantly more passengers this top-of-the-range product for bookings from Frankfurt starting today. Allegris is an experience in all classes; the approval of the majority of seats in Business Class on the Boeing 787-9 is an important milestone for Lufthansa – and above all, great news for our customers!”
The airline currently has eight new Boeing 787-9s equipped with Allegris, with 21 more aircraft on order. The airline expects to operate the full fleet of 29 aircraft by the end of next year.
Lufthansa had expected an FAA review of the 787-9 Allegris business class seats in February
The carrier had previously said the next FAA inspection of the new aircraft seats was scheduled for February and expected the regulator to clear the airline to operate the full cabin by April.
In its announcement of the FAA’s approval of its Allegris business class, the airline says it has now put 25 of the 28 seats on sale, with first flights beginning on April 15. Three seats in the second row are still pending regulatory scrutiny: 2A, 2E, and 2K.
While Lufthansa does not say why the FAA needs more time to clear these three seats, they are located directly behind the four suites at the front of the cabin (configured 1-2-1) which have higher shells for privacy. It is possible that the FAA is still reviewing the certification requirements to ensure the safety of passengers seated directly behind, specifically how the shells may affect head impact criteria during an emergency.
The FAA requires adequate pitch (separation) between seats and other cabin structures, as well as an appropriate restraint system, to prevent passengers from sustaining serious head injuries or spinal damage from impact with the structure in front of them during a crash. Proof of compliance requires impact force tests conducted prior to installation, but the FAA may need additional time to review the test results in this case.
A variety of business class seats in Lufthansa’s Allegris business class called for closer regulatory scrutiny
Lufthansa offers various seat options in the Allegris business class cabin, ranging from “classic business class” to options with added privacy and extra-long beds. This cabin complexity required the regulator to review each of the alternate seat types separately for approval, rather than clearing the cabin as a whole through similarity.
According to Lufthansa, the airline has now obtained approval for most of its seat variants. Passengers can now book “classic seats” free of charge, or seats with additional comfort features for an additional fee beyond the airfare. Options include business class suites, “extra space seats” which offer more legroom, “privacy seats” by the window, and “extra long bed” seats which offer a 2.20-meter sleeping surface.
Lufthansa will operate the Boeing 787-9 with Allegris from Frankfurt to Austin, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, Cape Town, Shanghai, Hyderabad, and Hong Kong starting this summer. It will add flights to New York JFK and Los Angeles in June, followed by Delhi in July.
Featured Image: Lufthansa
