Airbus ACJ Backlog Gets A Boost As Company Adds 5th MRO Partner

DUBAI—Airbus Corporate Jets has taken what is shaping up to be a record year for orders for ACJ business jets with eight firm orders and commitments for three more, Chadi Saade, ACJ president, said during a briefing ahead of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) show, which runs Dec. 10-13 in Dubai.

The Middle East is a key factor in that, Saade says.

“This is an amazing achievement,” Saade says. The company typically takes orders for 4-6 a year.

Airbus Corporate Jets’ ACJ220 is making its MEBAA debut at the show. The company also has added a fifth ACJ aircraft service partner—AMAC Aerospace, a maintenance, repair and overhaul provider based in Basel, Switzerland. Saade and Tarek Muhiddin, chief operating officer, signed the deal during the briefing.

The Middle East is an “exciting market,” and the number one market for ACJ business jets, he says. The market in the Middle East is growing with traffic up 30%, Saade says.

Besides a growing market, the large business jet fleet in the Middle East is aging and will need replacement. As such, a fleet renewal period has begun.

Of the large jets in the region, more than 110 are older than 15 years, representing more than 40% of the fleet, Saade says. At the same time, the lead time to get an ACJ delivered and into service can take up to five years.

“If any of these customers wants to replace their aircraft before the aircraft reaches 20 years old, it’s not that they need to make the decision,” he says. “This means that the potential in this region is quite important.”

Airbus Corporate Jets has taken orders for nine ACJ TwoTwentys to date, with two currently in service, including one operated by Five Hotels and Resorts, and the other by a confidential customer. Two additional ACJ TwoTwentys are undergoing outfitting at Comlux. One is expected to enter service.

Since Airbus Corporate Jets does not have an ACJ TwoTwenty in place for use as a demonstrator, the company relies on charter availability of the two already in service.

“The two owners are extremely happy with it, with the aircraft, to a point that we’re struggling every time to show the aircraft,” Saade says. “We book it six months in advance to try to hopefully secure it to show it.” One is on exhibit at MEBAA’s static display.

Two additional ACJ TwoTwentys are undergoing outfitting at Comlux in the U.S., with one to enter operations in 2025. The second could also be ready for delivery next year.

Key selection factors include space and comfort, large cargo space, the latest in technology, reliability and economics of operating, Saade says.

“We’re creating a new market,” he says.