C Jet, a Hong Kong-based privately owned company, has signed a memorandum of understanding for the first VIP Airbus A350 XWB widebody airliner. The agreement follows hot on the heels of an order by C Jet for an Airbus Corporate Jetliner.
"With orders for the Airbus A350 XWB already flooding in from airlines, the addition of our first VIP version [dubbed the A350 Prestige] rounds up a line of modern Airbus corporate jetliners that already stretches from the A318 Elite to the A380," says Airbus chief operating officer, customers John Leahy.
The A350 XWB, for which Airbus has chalked up 276 orders to date, is scheduled to make its first flight in 2012, leading to certification and first deliveries the following year. The aircraft will be pitched against the Boeing 787, which has already made significant inroads into the VIP market with around 10 aircraft sold to date. The first 787 VIP is scheduled for delivery in 2010.
Source: Flight International
