Most VIP cabins are built around one person. The BOW is built around a group. Lufthansa Technik and Designworks, the BMW Group’s design consultancy, have drawn up a narrowbody VIP interior meant for the people who travel together at the top end of the market: a company’s board, a professional sports team, a band on tour.
The two companies first showed the concept at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in April 2026. It is a design platform rather than a delivered aircraft, and Lufthansa Technik describes it as a kind of laboratory that lets buyers shape the layout early, before any metal is cut.
Private Suites, Shared Spaces
At the centre of the idea are private suites for one or two travellers each, usable for a quiet meeting or a meal for two. Every suite has its own storage, sized for things like a musical instrument or work equipment. Suites close individually, some sections can be raised or lowered by motor to change how private they feel, and optional sliding partitions open the cabin up for socialising. According to Lufthansa Technik, the layout can carry up to 28 passengers.
The arrangement is meant to be changed. Operators can trade suites for a bigger social area, enlarge the bar or add privacy for board meetings, depending on who is flying and why.
Three Zones
- Reception and lobby: a curved entrance with a bar, a gradient screen and a folding interactive service table.
- Lounge: two curved touchscreens and a large presentation table that splits into four smaller tables, so the room can move from a work session to dinner.
- Private suites: a design theme built on arcs and soft forms, with acoustic shields, mood lighting, scent options and concealed storage.
The Technology, Mostly Out of Sight
The concept doubles as a showroom for Lufthansa Technik’s own cabin products. Its »nice« cabin management system runs lighting, climate, seating and entertainment. Hidden Touch panels sit inside surfaces and disappear when not in use; a folding tray table, the »nice intellitable«, has a touchscreen built into it. The company’s ultra-slim Omni-Fi speakers handle sound, alongside inductive chargers and curved OLED screens.
Fabian Nagel, Lufthansa Technik’s vice president of sales for VIP and special aircraft services, said the concept is meant to elevate “group centric VIP travel to a completely new level,” and to give operators a single place to see how the company’s products work together.
Who Is Behind It
Designworks was founded in Malibu in 1972 and acquired by the BMW Group in 1995. It has studios in Munich, Los Angeles and Shanghai, and its clients include BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce. Lufthansa Technik, part of the Lufthansa Group, maintains and modifies commercial, VIP and special-mission aircraft and makes cabin products, with more than 22,000 employees, according to the company.
See all sources
- Lufthansa Technik and Designworks unveil VIP Concept “The BOW”, Lufthansa Technik, 2026-04-13
All images: Lufthansa Technik / Designworks, official press images.
