LUFTHANSA AIRLINES MOVED THE TOILETS ON PLANES TO THE BAGGAGE SECTION

Lufthansa moved toilets to the baggage compartment of planes: what problem did this solve?
The Airbus A340-600 aircraft served Lufthansa’s long-haul routes for 23 years.
Passengers seated near airplane restrooms have to endure constant traffic, queues, and unpleasant odors. German airline Lufthansa once found an innovative solution to this problem and increased the number of seats: the economy class restrooms were moved to the baggage compartment. AviaNews.com explained how this engineering solution helped the airline.

The unusual design was used on the Airbus A340-600 long-haul aircraft. At the time of its introduction, this model was the longest passenger aircraft in the world, at 75.27 meters. By comparison, the Ukrainian An-225 Mriya transport aircraft was 84 meters long.

Thanks to its large fuselage, the Airbus A340-600 could carry 281 passengers in four classes of service, with a significant portion of the cabin dedicated to first and business classes.
To increase the number of seats in Economy Class and reduce aisle congestion, Lufthansa commissioned a special modification of the aircraft from Airbus. All five Economy Class lavatories were placed on the lower level, in the baggage compartment.

A full-size staircase was installed in the Economy Class cabin, allowing passengers to descend to a separate section with lavatories. This solution was a rare example of innovative use of space in passenger aviation. Its implementation was made possible by the design of the Airbus A340-600: the height of the baggage compartment allowed an adult to stand upright in it. Lufthansa took advantage of this opportunity, but other airlines have not implemented a similar system.

Why the experiment ended
Lufthansa used Airbus A340-600 aircraft on long-haul routes for 23 years. In October 2026, the airline phased them out, gradually replacing them with more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft.
With the withdrawal of the A340-600 from the fleet, the story of the unusual solution of toilets in the baggage compartment, which had been used for about two decades, also came to an end.

A 90-passenger electric plane is being developed in Europe.
As a reminder, the Dutch startup Elysian Aircraft is developing the E9X passenger aircraft with an all-electric propulsion system. As a company representative noted, until recently, there was a consensus in the scientific community and the aviation industry regarding the operation of large electric aircraft. Specifically, the consensus was that this would never happen because it was technically impossible. However, applied research into the aircraft’s design has disproved this assumption. Engineers are currently focusing on refining the model, designed to carry 90 passengers on short and medium-haul routes.