First Airbus ACJ320neo Takes Flight

Airbus Corporate Jets (Stand A15, P6) is prepping to begin delivery this month of its “neo” (new engine option) family of narrowbody ACJs, following a short flight test program that kicked off last month. The first Airbus ACJ320neo successfully completed a two-hour, 40-minute first flight from Hamburg, Germany, on November 19, launching the flight-test program.

Derived from the certified A320neo airliner, the bizliner version differs with the inclusion of up to four extra center fuel tanks in the cargo hold for more range, as well as greater cabin pressure for better passenger comfort and built-in airstairs.

These features are being tested before delivery of the aircraft to Acropolis Aviation by year-end. The ACJ320neo will then enter outfitting at AMAC in Basel, Switzerland, where an Alberto Pinto-designed cabin will be installed and the exterior repainted in the customer’s colors.

Airbus ACJ320neo family aircraft feature new-generation engines and Sharklets, reducing fuel burns by about 15 percent and increasing range. As a result, the ACJ320neo with all four center fuel tanks added can fly 25 passengers 6,000 nm/11,100 km, enabling routes such as London to Beijing or Cape Town and Moscow to Los Angeles.

“The ACJ320neo first flight heralds a new Airbus corporate jet era, delivering a range improvement that enables nonstop travel between even more cities, in what is widely recognized as the best cabin of any business jet,” said ACJ president Benoit Defforge. “The ACJ320neo Family’s improved fuel-efficiency also means that it compares even more favorably in operating costs with traditional business jets,” he added.

Deliveries of the next member of the ACJ neo family, ACJ319neo, meanwhile, are expected to follow in the second quarter of 2019. The ACJ319neo can fly eight passengers 6,750 nm—while at the same time cutting specific fuel consumption, emissions, and noise. 

Airbus has revealed nine firm orders for the ACJ neo family—three ACJ319neos and six ACJ320neos with announced customers including Comlux and K5 Aviation, in addition to Acropolis Aviation.

ACJ deliveries have topped 190 to date. The Airbus Corporate Jet portfolio ranges from the narrowbody ACJ320 series to the ACJ330 and ACJ350 XWB twin-aisle twinjets. The airliner-sized cabins of the ACJs promote “more productive and sociable lifestyles in the sky than traditional business jets,” ACJ president Benoit Defforge says.

While it awaits its first neo variant, Acropolis Aviation was coordinating with Airbus to display its ACJ319 at MEBAA.