Comlux Accepts First Green ACJ TwoTwenty

The first ACJ TwoTwenty, the executive variant of the Airbus A220 single-aisle airliner, was delivered in early January from the Airbus A220 final assembly line in Mirabel, Canada, to Comlux Completion in Indianapolis. There, the green corporate airliner will undergo a VIP completion.

"Delivering the first-ever ACJ TwoTwenty to Comlux marks a major milestone in the business aviation industry,” said Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) president Benoit Defforge. He called the jet a “game changer” set to “pioneer new flying experiences and an unbeatable value proposition to the large business jet market."

The TwoTwenty combines intercontinental range and expansive personal space in a relatively low-cost VIP package, and ACJ has partnered with Comlux Group, the Swiss VIP aircraft specialist and operator, and its U.S. completion facility to produce and install configurable interiors for the first 15 jets. The preconfigured interiors will speed completion time and reduce expense, bringing the cost below the top price of a new long-range business jet (about $72 million), according to the European consortium.

That buys a cabin 50 percent longer with twice the floor space of an ultra-long-range business jet, and six living areas, each about twice as large as the two or three individual living zones on most large-cabin jets, according to Comlux. Even without the custom-designed cabins found on most corporate airliners, the range of interior configuration and outfitting options will allow buyers to have an interior of their choosing.

Comlux engineers, designers, and technicians have been working with the ACJ team for two years in preparation for the installations. Every interior configuration available to customers has been designed, engineered, and built, as have full-scale interior sections of the cabin with attach points, so every manufactured item can be tested for fit before installation.

Shortly before arrival of the delivery flight, which was commanded by Airbus captains Patrick Spiteri and Thomas Oberreiter, Comlux Completion CEO Daron Dryer told AIN, “We've never had the opportunity to spend this much advance time preparing for a project. We are ready to get straight to work and deliver a quality, luxurious product to our client base.”

Comlux is bringing several innovations to the project, including SPD-SmartGlass variable light transmission windows that allow passengers to adjust the level of ambient light entering the cabin; a double pocket door separating living areas that, when open, enhances the interior’s feeling of spaciousness; and inductive charging throughout the cabin, enabling passengers to recharge cell phones and other personal electronic devices simply by placing them on surfaces throughout the aircraft.

The preconfigured cabins will be offered in three style motifs: Timeless (traditional), Quintessence (classic), and Avant-Garde (modern). Living area configuration options include a cinema room with a 55-inch OLED screen, a double bed, a full shower, and dual galleys—one for meal preparation and cleanup, the other for presentation and serving. Ionization air filtration systems and full-color-spectrum LED cabin lighting are also available.

ACJ and Comlux anticipate that the new jet will be the first corporate airliner—and in some cases, the first aircraft—for a relatively high percentage of buyers. As such, they have established an interiors selection process to keep it simple and efficient, Adam White, the completion center’s v-p, engineering and design, said in the center’s sleek interior design showroom. Here, customers can select their preferred design motif, configurations of the individual rooms, and the color palette, and can see the colors and feel the fabrics and other materials for seating, flooring, countertops, and veneers. Materials from sustainable sources are among the choices; recovered veneers and Ultraleather, for example. Each customer receives a valise-like box containing samples of all the chosen materials.

Customers can “walk through” the cabin by donning a virtual-reality tool headset and can view styles, colors, and other options displayed in the rendering, so they can compare combinations of interior elements. The VR tool can also present structural views of the green interior that serves as a training device, enabling mechanics and maintainers to see all the access points for aircraft systems and how they’re opened and secured, learning how to take care of the interior and its systems before they’ve seen the airplane or a physical mockup.

Comlux, already the world’s largest buyer of ACJs with more than 20 purchased, bought the first three TwoTwentys and has resold the first to Dubai-based luxury hospitality and investment company Five, with delivery of the completed TwoTwenty expected in December 2022. The company is in discussion with several potential customers for the next TwoTwentys, Dryer said, with redelivery of the second slated for the fourth quarter of 2023 and the third for the first quarter of 2024. Subsequent redeliveries are anticipated at six- to eight-month increments thereafter.