The first Airbus Corporate Jets ACJ320neo rolled off the production line this week in Hamburg, Germany, the company announced today. Registered as D-AVVL, the airplane has been fitted with CFM International Leap-1A engines and painted in Airbus Corporate Jets’ house colors. The bizliner is now being prepped for first flight “in the coming weeks,” Airbus said.
Following delivery to UK-based Acropolis Aviation in the fourth quarter, the aircraft will enter outfitting at AMAC in Basel, Switzerland, where an Alberto Pinto-designed cabin will be installed. It will also be repainted in the customer’s colors.
Airbus ACJ320neo family aircraft feature new-generation engines and Sharklets, reducing fuel burns by about 15 percent and increasing range. As a result, the ACJ320neo can fly 25 passengers 6,000 nm/11,100 km, enabling routes such as London to Beijing or Cape Town and Moscow to Los Angeles, while the ACJ319neo can fly eight passengers 6,700 nm/12,500 km.
ACJ320neo family variants differ from their airliner counterparts by including a lower cabin altitude, built-in airstairs, and a cargo hold that is reinforced to carry additional center fuel tanks. There are currently nine firm orders for the ACJ320neo family—three ACJ319neos and six ACJ320neos—according to Airbus.