Today Airbus has unveiled its newest business jet, based on the Airbus A220.
In this post:
ACJ TwoTwenty Business Jet basics
The newest plane in the Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) lineup is the TwoTwenty business jet. The plane is based on the Airbus A220-100, though they’re choosing to write out the numbers in naming this jet (which is bit odd, because Airbus’ other business jets don’t have the numbers written out).
The A220 has proven to be an exceptional plane for airlines, with low fuel burn, amazing range, and reduced noise, and all of those principles will apply here as well.
Airbus claims that:
- The ACJ TwoTwenty will be able to occupy the same parking space and take off from the same airports as competing jets with just a third of the cabin space, all while having operating costs that are a third lower
- Compared to other aircraft in its category, the plane will feature a 50% reduction in noise and up to 25% lower fuel burn
The plane will feature a total of 785 square feet of floor space distributed over six VIP living areas. The cabin will allow for up to 18 guests to work, dine, and relax at their discretion, thanks to the cabin versatility. As a point of comparison, the passenger version of the plane can seat up to 120 people.
As Benoit Defforge, President of ACJ, describes this plane:
“We are proud to extend the ACJ product Family with the launch of the ACJ TwoTwenty. The aircraft combines intercontinental range, unmatched personal space and comfort for all passengers. This latest technology platform offers unbeatable economics and unrivalled reliability. Based on its compelling market appeal, we see promising demand for this aircraft in the growing business jet market.”
Here are some cabin photos that Airbus has released:
The ACJ TwoTwenty will have incredible range
The passenger version of the A220-100 already has excellent range, and can fly up to 3,450nm (6,390km). The ACJ TwoTwenty will have significantly better range than that, of up to 5,650nm (10,500km).
This means the plane will potentially be able to fly nonstop for over 12 hours, and it could fly between Los Angeles and London, Tokyo and Dubai, Beijing and Melbourne, and many similar city pairs.
Airbus’ existing business jet portfolio
Airbus currently has 200+ corporate jets in service, which are flying on every continent (including Antarctica). While we’ve seen many jets overhauled and converted, the current ACJ new plane portfolio includes four different jets.
There’s the ACJ319neo, based on the A319neo…
Then there’s the ACJ320neo, based on the A320neo…
Then there’s the ACJ330neo, based on the A330-800neo or A330-900neo…
And lastly there’s the ACJ350 XWB, based on the A350-900 or A350-1000…
Don’t get too excited about the interiors, as these are just renderings, and most customers don’t actually want such futuristic-looking finishes.
Bottom line
While it’s unlikely that most of us will ever have the chance to fly these jets, it’s still cool to see how how the limits can be pushed on passenger jets. The A220 has proven to be spectacularly popular with airlines, and I suspect the same may be true in the corporate jet world.
This jet will be the smallest in the ACJ lineup, but despite that it will have incredible range, over 60% more than the passenger version of the jet.
What do you make of the ACJ TwoTwenty?
@jeff
Easy to compare, this is a rebranded bombardier
@Steven
Airbus only bought the drawings and put their logo on the product.
Bombardier would be the company to design an expanded 300 Series (now called the A220) but the reason for the 100/300 versions is to fit into the size gap between the CRJ/Embraer and Boeing 737 passenger jets. Too big and sales might become a problem though with the reputation of Boeing and Embraer going in the toilet perhaps this might be an...
@Steven
Airbus only bought the drawings and put their logo on the product.
Bombardier would be the company to design an expanded 300 Series (now called the A220) but the reason for the 100/300 versions is to fit into the size gap between the CRJ/Embraer and Boeing 737 passenger jets. Too big and sales might become a problem though with the reputation of Boeing and Embraer going in the toilet perhaps this might be an option given the success of the C Series, Hmm - a C series 500? Canada could design it and perhaps build it.
Cost? Purchase price?
I wonder which aircraft Airbus is counting as the competition in those comparative claims.
@ steven - If you think the airlines will cancel huge chunks of your order book, which everyone with any sense does, expanding your product range to the business GA sector is probably the most prudent thing you could do. Low cost, high return.
Steven,
do you know how that company valuations are skyrocketting during pandemic? Do you know that rich people are becoming richer?
People who have this kind of money to buy such a large business jet is doing very well during pandemic FYI.
@Steven
Conversely, I think most of us thought this is THE perfect time to launch a new revolutionary corporate jet in the times of pandemic, when business still needs to get done, and travel still needs to power the world of commerce.
Looks awesome! This should make for very comfortable long haul trips for those lucky enough to operate this aircraft.
How tone deaf do you have to be to launch a business jet program during a global pandemic/recession? Airbus should have used their time working on the A220-500 instead
I wonder how these compare to purpose-built private jets like that from Gulf Stream, Embraer, and Bombadier.