The confidence of Airbus as a supplier of large business
jets was boosted Tuesday with the announcement of an order for three Airbus
Corporate Jetliners (ACJ) by an undisclosed China-based customer, the
confirmation of an additional order by a Florida operator and reaching the
milestone of 50 sales. Airbus officials also said that an additional order by a
European operator will be announced today.
The China sale is significant particularly because it marks
the first CRJ to be ordered by an operator from the world's most populated
nation. After years of trying, Airbus has a foothold in China, which gives the
aircraft additional appeal in Asia. Deliveries of all three ACJs to the Chinese
operator will begin in 2006. Each aircraft will be powered by CFM International
CFM56-5B/P engines.
Officials would not provide any additional details about the
ACJ order by the Florida operator during Tuesday's press conference except to
say that the order was "real" and contained a deposit. While reticent about
naming new customers, Airbus did announce that 50 ACJs have been sold since the
aircraft—a business jet version of the A319 airliner—was launched in June 1997.
The ACJ comes with fly-by-wire and Category 3B autoland capability.
With nine deliveries and 11 orders this year, the ACJ is
finally getting the recognition it deserves, said the airplanemaker. "All of
our approved cabin outfitters have one or more aircraft in completion at the
moment, confirming our capability to secure completion slots for our
customers," said Richard Ganoa, evp of executive and private aviation. Airbus
has employed the following four completion centers to outfit the ACJ:
Associated Air Center in Texas, Jet Aviation in Basel, Lufthansa Technik in
Hamburg and EADS Sogerma in Toulouse.
Corporate customers of the ACJ include Aero Services
Executive of France, the Al Kharafi Group of Kuwait, Blue Moon Aviation of the
U.S., the UB Group of India and DaimlerChrysler of Germany, as well as the
governments of Brazil, France, Italy, Thailand, and Venezuela.
In addition to the 50 sales of ACJs, customers continue to
order private versions of larger Airbus models, including the A340-600
contracted by an unnamed Saudi prince. Airbus officials provided no additional
information to the oft-asked question about an ACJ version of the mega-airliner
A380, whose first delivery to Singapore Airlines has been pushed back to late
2006 over cabin pressurization customization problems.
In what was described as "paperwork" modification, Airbus
officials also revealed that the ACJ's MTOW will be increased one ton to 76.5
tons. The reduction will increase the ACJ's range by 200 nmi. Airbus said it
expects
to soon announce additional performance-enhancing changes to
the ACJ, which can fly 10 executives in a VIP layout up to 6,000 nmi. It can
also carry up to 48 passengers in a shuttle configuration up to 4,500 nmi. Up
to six additional center tanks in the cargo hold gives the ACJ intercontinental
range.
To boost North American sales, Airbus has formed the
Business Aviation Advisory Board, an advocacy group whose mission is to help
the manufacturer become "an active participant in business aviation," said
board member and former NBAA president Jack Olcott, who was on hand at the
press conference.
