Aiming for the stars takes on a new meaning with Lufthansa Technik’s CelestialStar jet interior. Conceived for a BBJ 777-9 that would be converted into a bespoke bizliner, the interior covers more than 3,600 square feet.
The German firm calls the design, as part of a collaboration with Boeing Business Jets, a “new generation of VVIP and head-of-state aircraft.”
The private office. A nifty high-tech feature: The nooks in the rear walls display art, but can be concealed.
Lufthansa Technik
“The final designs combine traditional influences from the Middle East’s cultural heritage with a modern twist,” continues the statement—which is actually an understatement. The team used typical Middle Eastern geometric design patterns mixed with the openness of the sky in what is the widest of aircraft types.
The space is used to judicious effect. The private bedroom and bathroom are part of a suite that also includes a “work and balance” area. They include a king-size bed, the largest rain and massage shower on a private jet, and a massive entertainment center.
The conference and dining room. Notice the patterned walls and overhead.
Lufthansa Technik
That projection technology can display a cinema screen, or 180 degrees of images across the walls, including works of art or travel scenes. The bedroom also has access to private dressing rooms and an exercise area.
The work area has seating that be adopted to different positions as well as the ability to expand table space. Even the walls have niches if someone wants to display art, but they can be closed to disappear back into the wall structure.
The Celestial Lounge is a very different take on the entrance to an aircraft.
Lufthansa Technik
The Celestial lounge is the aircraft’s entrance point, which features an integrated bar and seating. The area has inner doors that divide the aircraft’s outer doors from the cabin, so the sense of calm remains. The idea is that passengers have a private lobby and lounge when stepping onto the aircraft.
Of course, an aircraft styled for a VVIP or head of state wouldn’t be complete without space for an entourage. The next section of the aircraft has tables and 11 seats that can move between conference and dining position, with the ability to morph into fine-dining or business-meeting modes. The second half of the cabin is divided into six suites—compartments that have been adapted to the design. For those who aren’t suite-worthy, 32 seats in the executive area are designed like business-class seating on a commercial jet. For those at the bottom of the social pyramid is the Entourage Area, which Lufthansa Technik describes as a “premium-economy” cabin.
Lufthansa Technik would be the launch customer with the project.