Summary
- Airbus introduced the ACJ division in 1997 in response to Boeing’s BBJ.
- The ACJ319 is the most sold variant with 77 orders, followed by the ACJ330-200 with 69.
- The lineup includes narrow-bodied ACJs like the ACJneo and ACJ220, and wide-bodied ACJs like the ACJ330neo and ACJ350.
First introduced in 1997, Airbus formed its Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) division, following Boeing’s launch of the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). The BBJ was based on the commercial 737 and Airbus followed suit with an executive Airbus 319. They were designed as competition against the larger private jets in the industry, such as those made by Gulfstream and Bombardier. Since then, we’ve seen different variants from both manufacturers, but which ACJ has Airbus sold the most of? Let’s take a look.
Narrow-bodied ACJ
There are many variants of the ACJ but the original was based on the commercial Airbus 320 series. Today, any version of the series is available as a corporate jet with a 180-minute ETOPS (Extended Range Twin Engine Operations Performance Standards) which is part of flight rules for one engine inoperative flight conditions. The differences between the commercial airliner and the ACJ include a variable number of removable additional fuel tanks and an increased service ceiling of 41,000 feet.
Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock
Variants and orders (narrow-bodied)
As of 2020, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) shipment report, these were the variants of the ACJ and the numbers ordered from Airbus:
Model |
Orders |
---|---|
ACJ318 |
20 |
ACJ319 |
77 |
ACJ320 |
20 |
ACJ321 |
3 |
ACJ319neo/ACJ320neo |
14 |
ACJ TwoTwenty |
8 |
Photo: Media_works | Shutterstock
Differences between narrow-bodied variants
The first ACJ318 has a range of 4,200 nautical miles (7,800 kilometers) and is the smallest of the A320 family and can have between 12 and 19 passenger seats. The ACJ319 has a larger range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 kilometers). It has extra fuel tanks, a wider fuselage and can fly to a ceiling of 39,000 feet. It has a price tag of $105 million and was seen as a competitor to the Gulfstream G650, Bombardier Global Express and the original Boeing Business Jet BBJ1 and is often used for government transportation.
The ACJ320 has the same range as the original ACJ318 but has more cabin space and a capacity of up to 30 passengers. The largest narrow-bodied jet by Airbus is the ACJ321, but it has the same range as the ACJ318. The ACJ319neo and ACJ320neo have a range of 6,750 nautical miles (12,500 kilometers) and 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 kilometers), respectively. The engines have lower fuel burn and more range but with lower noise and the cabin altitude is reduced to 6,400 feet. They cost $107.5 million dollars and $117 million each.
In October 2020, Airbus announced the ACJTwoTwenty with a range of 5,650 nautical miles (10,460 kilometers). It can carry up to 18 passengers and has removable auxiliary fuel tanks for extra range. It first flew in 2021 and has a price of $80 million.
Photo: Airbus Corporate Jets
Wide bodied ACJ
The wide-bodied private jets by Airbus are based on the commercial A330, A340, A350 and A380. They have additional fuel tanks over the original aircraft that extend its range, with the largest increase in the A330 Prestige.
Variants and orders (wide-bodied)
ACJ330-200: 69 aircraft
ACJ330neo: 0
ACJ340-300: 7 aircraft
ACJ340-500/600: 7 aircraft
ACJ350: 5 aircraft
ACJ380-800: 1 ordered but sold before modification.
Aircraft |
A220 -100 |
A220 -300 |
A318 |
A319 |
A319 neo |
A320 |
A320 neo |
A321 |
A321 neo |
A300 |
A310 |
A330 -200 |
A330 neo |
A340 -2/300 |
A340 -5/600 |
A350 -900 |
A350 -1000 |
A380 -800 |
All |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ordered |
6 |
2 |
20 |
77 |
6 |
20 |
8 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
69 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
237 |
Delivered |
0 |
0 |
20 |
77 |
3 |
20 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
60 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
210 |
Operated |
0 |
0 |
20 |
74 |
3 |
29 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
62 |
0 |
10 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
236 |
Differences between wide-bodied variants
The ACJ330-200 Prestige can hold up to 60 passengers and has a range of 8,300 nautical miles (5,400 kilometers). The ACJ330neo has the new harmony concept cabin with up to 25 passenger seats and with more range at 10,400 nautical miles (19,260 kilometers). The four-engine ACJ340-300 Prestige can hold up to 75 passengers but has less range at 7,700 nautical miles (14,300 kilometers).
Photo: Airbus
The ACJ340-500 has a higher fuel capacity and an updated larger wing. It has a larger range than the previous ACJ340 with 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 kilometers). It is powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 556 engines. The new ACJ350 has an impressive range of 10,800 nautical miles (20,000 kilometers) and has the largest cabin. It can fly to and from almost any city pairing in the world.
There was one ACJ A380 ordered with three decks (one being in the cargo compartment) but the aircraft was sold as the normal variant before being modified as an ACJ.
In conclusion
As of the latest figures, 237 ACJs had been ordered, 210 had been delivered and 236 were in operation. The ACJ319 was the most sold jet of all ACJs with 77 ordered and the ACJ330-200 follows close behind with 69 jets ordered, in the narrow-bodied and wide-bodied class, respectively. Today, the ACJs produced by Airbus are the narrow-bodied ACJneo, the ACJ220 and the wide-bodied ACJ330neo and the ACJ350.