Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

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Matt Thurber

Lufthansa Technik has unveiled the CelestialStar cabin design concept for Boeing’s 777-9. The German company is collaborating with Boeing Business Jets on the design, which it called “tailored to the requirements of a new generation of VVIP and head-of-state aircraft.”&nbsp;
With 340 sq m of cabin space to fill, the CelestialStar “designs combine traditional influences from the Middle East's cultural heritage with a modern twist,” capturing both Middle Eastern geometric patterns and the “vastness and openness of the sky: a reminiscence not only of the widest cabin among all newly available VVIP aircraft types but also of the diversity in the Middle Eastern philosophy.”
A private suite combines a self-contained bedroom-bathroom “retreat” with an adjacent work and balance area. The suite features projection technology adapted from Lufthansa Technik’s Explorer concept with a cinema screen and wall-sized projections that can include destination imagery and virtual art. The bathroom includes a large rain-massage shower while the bedroom is fitted with a king-size bed. To gain access to nearby exercise or dressing rooms, rotating and sliding lamellae panels can be opened, and these also introduce more daylight into the suite area.
The work and balance zone is designed for meetings or private work, with two movable seats next to a desk as well as side divans with tables. Wall niches are available to display exhibits, and these are closable, disappearing seamlessly into the wall.
The CelestialStar lounge greets passengers entering the jet and features a bar and seating to welcome guests. Opening the corridors connects the lounge “almost seamlessly” with the conference and dining area, which also can be used as a majlis, a traditional Middle Eastern gathering and meeting room, according to Lufthansa Technik. The conference and dining room contains 11 seats and a large table, and the seats can rotate toward the table or surrounding divans. The table also holds retractable monitors that can tie into the aircraft’s airborne connectivity systems. Windows are electrochromatically dimmable.&nbsp;
To accommodate guests, the CelestialStar cabin offers six first-class deluxe suite compartments and 32 seats in an executive area configured as business-class seating. A rear area can add premium-economy seating for additional passengers.
The CelestialStar design is the first where Boeing Business Jets has provided design data for the 777-9, according to Lufthansa Technik. Dubai Airshow visitors can view a virtual tour of the cabin design at Lufthansa Technik’s exhibit.
"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 of Middle East VIP and 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."

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