First ACJ320neo rolls out of assembly
Airbus formed the corporate jet unit in 2007 in order to offer customers around the world aircraft configured in a luxurious, spacious, versatile layout. The unit was intended to compete with the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) family which has been flying since the late 1990s.
Although Airbus has had the A319 Corporate Jet available since the same time period, the term Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) was formed in 2007.
The Airbus Corporate Jet family consists of the following:
- ACJ320 Family “Elite” or “Prestige”
- ACJ320neo Family
- ACJ330
- ACJ340
- ACJ350
- ACJ380 “Flying Palace” or “Prestige”
With 198 ACJs in operation today and more to come, it’s time to introduce the latest member to roll out of final assembly: The first customer ACJ320neo.
The aircraft, registered D-AVVL, is fitted with two CFM LEAP-1A engines. Under ACJ configuration, the aircraft is able to perform flights up to 6,000 nm/11,100 km or 13 hours, opening up routes such as London to Beijing or Cape Town and Moscow to Los Angeles.
Airbus recently showed off the aircraft in final assembly too:
Acropolis Aviation is the customer for this particular aircraft, and will have it configured with 19 seats and a private master bedroom with a luxury en-suite bathroom. AMAC Aerospace will be in charge of installing everything and is expected to take 12 months.
Acropolis received their first ACJ319 in 2010 and has since received positive reviews for its service, product and business model.
Airbus has a further nine ACJ320neo Family aircraft on order, of which, three are of the A319 variant and six of the A320 variant.
With the growing demand for comfortable, spacious and efficient business jets, Airbus expects more orders for the aircraft in the coming years.