Story ID: 
BizJet Begins Its First A318 Elite Completion
By: David A. Lombardo
Caption: BizJet International, Lufthansa Technik’s Tulsa, Okla.-based U.S.
Word Count: 179
BizJet International, Lufthansa Technik’s Tulsa, Okla.-based U.S. subsidiary, has received its first Airbus A318 Elite from Europe. The delivery marks the beginning of a planned takeover of Elite completions from Lufthansa Technik’s facility in Hamburg, Germany. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered back to Airbus in the fall with an FAA and EASA STC. BizJet invested about $3 million in expanding its infrastructure, upgrading facilities, retraining employees and purchasing new equipment. The company currently has firm orders for six A318 Elite completions. According to a Lufthansa Technik spokesman, the demand for VIP and executive jets has increased so much in recent years that the completion center in Hamburg could no longer keep up with the orders. Lufthansa Technik has completed and delivered seven A318 Elites at the Hamburg facility so far, with one more currently in process. Two more Elites will be finished by the middle of next year, after which the project will be turned over completely to BizJet. A second A318 Elite completion line will be added at BizJet later next year.