ACJ Extreme: Airbus Reveals Few ACJ 'Prestige' Details
Airbus has a posh new offering in its corporate jet family, but
the company's not saying much more than that. Speaking on the
ACJ program status yesterday, Richard Gaona, vp Airbus Corporate
Fleet & VIP Aircraft, revealed that the new top-of-the-line
ACJ model, called the Prestige, will have 19 seats, a quieter
cabin and will be completed by Airbus in a turnkey operation.
It's a package primarily for owners who don't have to ask "how
much" and who don't have time to sweat the details. The price
of a "green" ACJ is $43 million and beyond that Gaona
says, it's "not something we want to discus." So far,
it's been only the potential customers who have been given a peek
at the Prestige, in mockup form, at the Airbus facility in Toulouse.
Gaona describes the experience as "entering an aircraft but
not feeling like you're in an aircraft."
As for market size, Gaona says he'd like to sell 10 Prestige models in the
next three years, which amounts to about half of the 18 to 24 ACJs
in total (6 to 8 per year) the company is forecasting in sales for
the entire ACJ family. Two Prestige aircraft have been sold so far
this year, with the first delivery to take place next summer. Overall
there are 17 ACJs in service, with the 18th soon to be delivered
and nine new aircraft on order.
