Ahead of the Dubai Airshow starting next week, Lufthansa Technik, in collaboration with Boeing Business Jets (BBJ), has unveiled full details of its latest VVIP cabin concept for the BBJ 777-9.
The new renderings of the interior, which covers more than 340m², present a design tailored to the requirements of a new generation of VVIP and head-of-state aircraft. The final designs combine traditional influences from the Middle East’s cultural heritage with a modern twist. The concept’s name was also revealed for the first time. With CelestialStar, Lufthansa Technik’s design team aims to emphasise both contemporary purity and typical Middle Eastern geometric design patterns as well as the vastness of the sky – the latter a nod to Middle Eastern philosophy and the width of the cabin.
Private suite
The private bedroom and bathroom, together with the adjacent ‘work and balance’ area, form a multifunctional private suite for VVIPs. The bathroom and sleeping quarters can merge into a self-contained private retreat if required. Features include a large rain and massage shower and a king-size bed.
Adapted from Lufthansa Technik’s Explorer concept, projection technology transforms the enclosed space into an immersive wellness and entertainment world if required, displaying a wide variety of customised digital content ranging from a cinema screen to 180° impressions of the next travel destination or virtual works of art.
If there is less need for seclusion, rotating and sliding lamellae can open the space to the rest of the cabin to provide access to the exercise or dressing rooms at the side, or to allow more daylight into the VVIP area.
“The thoughtful design of the BBJ 777-9 interior created by Lufthansa Technik illustrates the key features of our newest, largest and most capable BBJ on the market,” said Alexis Fecteau, managing director of marketing at Boeing Business Jets. “The elegant interior elements maximise personal comfort for passengers on board the BBJ 777-9, which is capable of flying over 22 hours and connecting any two cities in the world, non-stop.”
The work and balance area also makes full use of the cabin width and is designed to be multifunctional. In the two flexibly rotating and sliding seats, guests can not only gather around the large VVIP desk for audiences, but also turn and move their seats to the side divans for conversations with additional guests. A swivel mechanism allows the surface area of the tables in front of the divans to be expanded as needed. The design in this room also includes numerous trapezoidal wall niches, for example for exhibits, which can be closed with an invisible mechanism if required and then disappear into the linear wall structure.
Celestial lounge
Adjacent to the private suite is the Celestial lounge, through which passengers enter the aircraft like a lobby. There is an integrated bar for refreshments and several seating arrangements. Intermediate doors shield guests aesthetically and acoustically from the outer functional doors of the aircraft cabin.
When the corridors are open, the Celestial lounge merges into the adjoining conference and dining area. This not only functions as a majlis, the traditional Middle Eastern gathering and meeting room, but is also multifunctional. The 11 individual seats can also be rotated from a dining or conference position at the large centre table towards the surrounding divans and moved outward for conversations on the side. Communication and conference technologies, including monitors that can be fully retracted into the table, connect this room, and the entire aircraft, with the world.
Large window shades with electrochromatic dimming are fully integrated into the design of CelestialStar. With their three-dimensional structure and the targeted use of indirect lighting, they continue the design principle of the sidewalls in a functional way. They are designed to deliver a generous spatial impression all around, even when closed and without daylight.
“The BBJ 777-9 is the largest aircraft type newly available on the market and thus simply predestined for its role as successor to the BBJ 747 as the most popular aircraft for heads of state, many of which are among our loyal customers for decades,” said Hassan Gasim, sales director, Middle East VIP & Special Aircraft Services at Lufthansa Technik. “Through our close cooperation with Boeing Business Jets and furthermore Lufthansa’s role as launch customer for the new type, we were able to build up extensive technical expertise at an early stage. Therefore, we are pleased to present our valued customers at the Dubai Airshow this once again ground-breaking interior that makes the most of the BBJ 777-9’s size.”
Space for delegations
The second half of the cabin offers accommodation for large delegations, for example advisory staff and other personnel. High-ranking ministers or state guests can be accommodated in the six deluxe suites, modern first-class compartments that have been specially adapted to this VVIP cabin design.
For additional passengers, there are 32 seats in the executive area, which corresponds to business-class seating. This is followed at the rear of the cabin by the entourage area, a premium-economy cabin.
The CelestialStar cabin design is the first of its kind to be derived directly from the BBJ 777-9 design data provided by Boeing Business Jets. Lufthansa Technik said this ensures the technical feasibility of the design from the outset, because only 100% correct dimensions were used as a basis.
Lufthansa Technik will present all details of CelestialStar at the Dubai Airshow from 13-17 November, including a film and a virtual tour through the cabin at its booth.
