Airbus corporate Jetliners – VIP versions of the company’s popular airliner models – are building a strong presence in a growing Middle East market, as the company will demonstrate at the Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) conference and exhibition in Dubai later this week. They also won a record 20 sales in 2006.
Airbus will exhibit an Airbus A320 Prestige at MEBA, which marks the first time that business aircraft have had their own dedicated show in the Middle East. Airbus is a founder member of MEBA.
Airbus corporate jetliner customers in the Middle East include SAAD Air, which flies an A320 Prestige and which recently took delivery of the first VIP version of the world’s longest aircraft, the A340-600, the Al Kharafi group of Kuwait, National Air Services (NAS) of Saudi Arabia, Qatar Airways and the state of Qatar – as well as many undisclosed clients.
Airbus’ Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) Family comprises the A318 Elite, ACJ and A320 Prestige. It won almost two-thirds of large top-of-the-line corporate jet sales in 2006, and has led this market in each of the past three years. Total Airbus ACJ Family sales stand at around 80, and the aircraft are present in every continent.
“Our Airbus ACJ Family is the new standard to which customers aspire, with the widest and most comfortable cabin of any corporate jet, as well as the most modern design,” says Airbus Vice President Executive Aviation Richard Gaona. “We really can offer customers the biggest and the best, from the Airbus ACJ Family all the way up to an A380 Flying Palace.”
One of the biggest benefits of the Airbus ACJ Family is that it has the widest cabin of any corporate jet in its class - in fact it delivers twice the cabin-width and three-times the volume of traditional top-of-the-line business jets.
