Lufthansa Explorer

Experiential Explorer

Lufthansa Technik collaborates with Diehl Aerospace to develop an interior projection system for VIP cabins.

With the hours spent in the confines of a cabin on arduous long-haul flights, passengers are often left pondering how they could better spend their time en route to a destination. Enter Lufthansa Technik, which has collaborated with Diehl Aerospace – a joint venture between Diehl Aviation and Thales – to develop an entirely new concept that transforms an aeroplane cabin into a multi-use living space.

Named Explorer, the idea is based on the evolution of superyachts, which have increasingly become more than just a means for travel, serving as a hotel room, business lounge and entertainment space, as well as a base camp for excursions.

In developing its concept, Lufthansa Technik’s specialists chose the wide-bodied Airbus A330 as a platform to bring the same approach to private aviation. “In yacht building, multifunctional exploration vessels have now become a class in their own right,” explains Wieland Timm, Head of Sales in VIP and Special Mission Aircraft Services at Lufthansa. “For this fast-growing target group of VIP world explorers, we have therefore created a flying platform for the first time. Unlike a yacht however, our Explorer aircraft allows passengers to travel to the other side of the globe within hours and set up their own base camp for further activities.”

The most striking feature of the concept is the largescale projection system, which uses virtual content to change the look and feel of the cabin. By integrating projectors into the sidewall and ceiling, the moving images extend from the window belt across the entire space, displaying personalised content with the help of software from Diehl. There’s a blue sky option and an underwater scene with sealife, modes that are conducive to work or relaxation, and even the possibility to create a flying discotheque.

“By integrating the unique projection system of Diehl, we have created an interior that exploits the technology’s full potential for a VIP cabin,” comments Michael Bork, Aircraft Interior Architect in VIP and Special Mission Aircraft Services at Lufthansa. “It is optimised under technical and aesthetic aspects to provide an adequate framework for bringing a variety of atmospheres and virtual worlds to life, changing the overall look of the cabin by a fingertip.”