On April 22, Airbus’ new Corporate Jet Center (ACJC) delivered its first aircraft–a VIP-configured A320 to a private customer. The manufacturer has invested more than $10 million in modernizing and expanding its new completions center in Toulouse.
Work on another A320 Prestige and an ACJ is in progress. Improvements to the ACJC comprise the installation of two aircraft nose-docks in an updated 102,250-sq-ft hangar next to the A330/A340 assembly line, a new 2,690-sq-ft workshop and an additional 16,150 sq ft of office space.
Based in the former EADS Sogerma unit that outfitted and maintained more than 10 aircraft, ACJC is a majority-owned subsidiary of Airbus that includes investment by an undisclosed outside partner. It opened for business in July 2007 retaining most of the operation’s experienced cabin-outfitting personnel under a new management team. The refurbished hangar will be able to accommodate three Airbus ACJ family aircraft, meeting plans to increase outfitting capacity to three jets per year.
In addition to ACJC in Toulouse, Airbus offers five other approved outfitters for the ACJ family: Associated Air Center of Dallas, Texas; Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Fokker Services; Gore Design Completions of San Antonio, Texas; Jet Aviation of Basel, Switzerland; and Hamburg, Germany-based Lufthansa Technik.