Airbus completed today (14/12) the first flight with its ACJ TwoTwenty aircraft, the version of the A220 aimed at the executive aviation market. The aircraft is equipped with extra tanks, which extend the flight range and allow for greater comfort by avoiding stopovers during the route.
The first flight, initially a test flight, was performed by pilots Christophe Marchand and Adam Mason as test pilots and ed by Romuald Scheling as flight test engineer.
The aircraft will still undergo an additional certification process, leveraging the existing A220 type certificate, and will be delivered to Comlux in the coming weeks and then fitted with a VIP cabin in Indianapolis, USA.
Comlux was selected as the exclusive equipment partner for the first 15 ACJ TwoTwenty aircraft.
Based on the Airbus A220-100, the ACJ TwoTwenty has a range of 10500 km, listed as very good for an aircraft in this category. The interior can be divided into six different areas, and the number of seats, as well as comfort, varies according to the customers' choice.
The ACJ TwoTwenty competes directly with the Lineage 1000 (already discontinued) and the Gulfstream G700 and Bombardier Global 7500 aircraft.
Airbus claims the aircraft will be able to use the same airports as competing business jets, but will provide three times the cabin space and generate a third less in operating costs.
Airbus Corporate Jets President Benoit Defforge said the A220 will not be a direct competitor to the ACJ319neo. He reinforces that they are jets that complement each other, and that the new 'TwoTwenty' program will not affect the A319 and its executive and corporate cabin program.
The ACJ's extra tanks have even attracted the attention of airlines, who now want a long-range version of the A220-300 to be able to fly between different continents. Check out more about this topic Clicking here.
