Airbus woos firms with bizjets

An Airbus ACJ318, the corporate jet version of the A318 airliner, will mark the company’s presence at the Hyderabad airshow, making it the first ever display of its bizjets in India.

The Airbus ACJ318, on display here at Begumpet Airport, is operated by Abu Dhabi-based Al Jaber Aviation, which offers it for VVIP charters with spacious and comfortable seating arrangement for 19 people.

“Corporate jets such as the Airbus ACJ318 are primarily business tools that save time and enhance productivity, but are also an extension of the home and office facilities of company executives and world leaders, who want to take into the air what they have on the ground,” says Airbus CEO, Customers, John Leahy.  “With the widest and tallest cabin of any bizjet, existing or planned, Airbus corporate jets are best placed to deliver this work and lifestyle benefit,” Leahy adds.

The ACJ318 is similar in size to traditional large bizjets. It  has a cabin that is about twice as wide, delivering comfort, space, and freedom of movement.

It features a lounge-like main cabin for passengers in several different zones, as well as a room that is an office by day and a bedroom with ensuite bathroom at night. An Airbus press release said that the corporate jet on display at Hyderabad gave Indian and other potential customers the chance to experience for themselves the best business jet cabin in the world.

The company has won some 170 orders since it delivered its first corporate jet in the mid-eighties. Its bizjets are flying on every continent, including Antarctica.