The closure of Avolar, the stillborn fractional ownership arm of United Airlines, robbed Airbus Corporate Jet of a 15-airplane order for ACJ widebodies. But is ACJ vp Richard Gaona dismayed? Not a bit of it.

"We have to be in North America," he asserted at EBACE Monday. "And we are, but we're not saying much about that. Our challenge is to be considered as a potential competitor with some particular VIP customers. One thing I can tell you is that we are not going to set up our own fractional business. I do not see any sense in that. But I do see market sense in large corporations sharing an aircraft like the ACJ, probably on scheduled flights."

Continuing, Gaona observed, "The need Avolar was addressing was corporate shuttle and transportation of sports teams. That need is still there, even if Avolar isn't."

He disclosed that Airbus Corporate Jet will be saying "something big" on this issue at September's NBAA Convention in Orlando.

To address the U.S. market Airbus Corporate Jet currently has two full-time sales personnel based in Washington, D.C., supported by some 35 general management staff in Toulouse.

Of 30 ACJs on firm order, Airbus has delivered 14, of which an even dozen have been completed and are in customer service. In its first three years ACJ sales have been limited by availability of airframes from the A319 production line at Hamburg. So far the release rate for ACJ-bound airframes has been four per year, but Gaona has six aircraft earmarked for 2003 and expects the figure to rise to eight per year, with potential for 10 to 15, which would achieve Airbus's aim of winning 50% of the market sector.

"The way Airbus works is that we don't like to commit on something we cannot deliver. We are ready for more orders, but we don't want to say 'buy our nice plane,' then make customers wait 12 to 24 months for delivery," said Gaona.

Also in prospect for NBAA is an announcement of sales of VIP Airbus A340-200s.