Airbus and Boeing to expand business jet lines with aircraft based on smaller A318 and bigger 737-900ER
Airbus and Boeing are expanding their lines of airliner-based business jets. The European manufacturer has launched a corporate version of the A318 to compete in the long-range large-cabin sector. Its US rival is expected to launch a new member of the Boeing Business Jet family based on the extended-range 737-900ER at the Dubai air show.
Airbus is to offer the smallest member of its A320 family in two variants: the 14-seat A318 Elite and 18-seat A318 Elite+. The company has signed a deal with German completions specialist Lufthansa Technik to offer highly standardised interiors for the two models in a bid to approach the price range of existing large-cabin aircraft such as the Bombardier Global 5000, Dassault Falcon 900EX and Gulfstream G450.
Swiss charter operator Comlux is launch customer for the Elite, placing an order for three. Airbus declines to give a price for the new aircraft, but is understood to be offering the first 10 aircraft at a substantial discount to establish the type, especially with North American customers.
“We are waiting on a couple of transactions before we set the price,” says Richard Gaona, Airbus vice-president executive and private aviation. “We will be in the same price range as existing large-cabin aircraft, but we will have four times the cabin volume.” The Global 5000 and G450 are priced at $33.5 million, while the Falcon 900EX sells for $34.7 million.
The Elite has a range of 7,000km (3,800nm) with eight passengers and, unlike the A319 Corporate Jetliner (ACJ), has no auxiliary fuel tanks. “The customer wanting more range than that will look at another aircraft,” says Gaona.
Airbus has certificated the A318 for a 5.5° steep approach and is targeting the Elite for use at airports with either noise restrictions or approach obstacles such as Aspen, San Diego or London City airport.
Boeing Business Jets’ decision to grow to a -900ER-based business jet derivative rather than shrink to a 737-600-sized aircraft was taken after surveys showed that “larger BBJs is what our customers appear to want”, says president Steve Heath.
The move comes as a surprise, because serious studies of the “BBJ-600” have been under way during 2005, with many industry observers expecting the smaller aircraft to be the next variant.
The larger BBJ will be offered for availability from mid-2008 onwards, says Heath, adding that Boeing is “very close to this decision, and we hope and anticipate to make an announcement at Dubai on the offerability of the -900ER”. The 3m longer aircraft has 11% more cabin space than the 737-800-based BBJ2, he says.
Airbus, meanwhile, has increased the maximum take-off weight of the ACJ from 75,500kg (166,400lb) to 76,500kg, extending the range by 370km to 9,250km. The increase is a paperwork exercise, the result of stress calculations based on non-linear aerodynamics, but will require certificating new carbon brakes and other weight-critical components, says Gaona. The new equipment will be available for retrofit from early 2007.
The changes are in response to customer demands for 14h endurance and will be coupled with further aerodynamic enhancements in the future, he says.
Boeing is “in the proposal stage” with several potential customers on a possible VIP variant of the 787-8, which could be available by “late 2010 or early 2011”, says Heath. “It’s a horse race,” he adds. “We have six or seven active proposals out there and we’re looking to define the aircraft from the completion side. We have a completion centre meeting planned in about two weeks.”
Heath says the 787 will “make a terrific VIP aircraft, and interest is growing”. He describes a baseline study configuration with a 214m² (2,300ft²) cabin, seating for up to 75 passengers and a range of 19,240km. “That’s enough to allow you to fly non-stop to anywhere in the world,” he adds.
Even though Boeing Business Jets partner General Electric is a participant in the 787-VIP study, Heath says both its GEnx engine and Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 will be offered.
Source: Flight International
