Lufthansa selects Airbus L Bins for A320 fleet
The Airbus L Bins can be retrofitted in as little as three-to-five days
Lufthansa has been announced as the first retrofit customer for the Airspace L Bins from Airbus.
The announcement came on the opening day of APEX EXPO, Long Beach, California.
From January 2025, 38 Lufthansa A320s will be refitted with the new bins providing 60 percent more bag capacity than the previous-generation A320 bins, allowing vertical loading of carry-on roller bags. The new L Bins will be able to fit bags that are 61cm (height) x 38cm (width) x 25cm (depth), providing space for three extra bags per bin.
Optimised for plug & play replacement of the in-service enhanced bins, the new L Bins can be retrofitted in three-to-five days, making them the fastest and most cost effective A320 Family retrofit solution. They also share common parts with Airspace XL Bins for lower spares holding costs in mixed fleets. The L Bin re-uses many parts of the original bin including the sidewall, ceiling and lighting.
The bins, which are made of ultra-lightweight and highly stable composite products, will be manufactured by EFW (Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH), an Airbus First Tier supplier for composite components since 1993. Production will take place in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing site employing measures such as photovoltaics and bioenergy.
“We know from talking with airline customers that bigger bins are a clear need to enhance the passenger experience. As with the XL Bins, the L Bins provide more space with the added advantage of a plug and play retrofit. We are thrilled to see Lufthansa as the first to offer the L Bins to its passengers and to reap the efficiency benefits it brings to aircraft turnarounds,” said Airbus Head of Commercial Services Europe Charbel Youzkatli in a September 19 statement.
