Acropolis Aviation brought its Airbus ACJ320neo VIP business jet to Dubai, where it sits on display under the auspices of Airbus Corporate Jets. The ACJ320 is the business jet version of the A320 airliner, with the new engine option (neo) being the latest iteration of the successful design. As well as providing Airbus with an impressive aircraft to promote its Corporate Jets division, the aircraft’s appearance in Dubai allows Acropolis to present the aircraft to its Middle East clientele for the first time.
Based at Farnborough in the UK, Acropolis served as the launch customer for the ACJ320neo, the sale being announced at the 2015 edition of the EBACE show in Geneva, Switzerland. The aircraft underwent outfitting by Basel, Switzerland-based luxury completion specialists AMAC Aerospace, installed a cabin designed by Yves Pickardt and Alberto Pinto. It entered service with Acropolis in March 2020.
Now the flagship of the company's luxury charter fleet, G-KELT carries up to 19 passengers, with lie-flat beds for 17 and accommodations for a crew of six. A forward open-plan lounge leads to a 10-seat conference/dining room, aft of which is an intimate rear lounge and a large master bedroom with a king-size bed and en-suite shower room. The environmental system provides a cabin altitude of 6,400 feet.
Collins Aerospace and Satcom Direct supply Inflight entertainment and connectivity systems. The underfloor holds can accommodate more than 100 pieces of baggage. One area where the ACJ differs from the standard airliner is its underfloor capacity for fuel cells, permitting the aircraft to fly for up to 12 hours. The aircraft has won clearance for Cat IIIA landing minima in degraded visual environments. Being based on the A320 airliner also provides customers access to Airbus's global support network.