Middle East client orders two Airbus A318 Elites

A Middle East customer has placed a firm order for two A318 Elites, highlighting the growing success of the newest and most affordable member of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) Family.

Both aircraft will feature the classic VIP cabin created by Lufthansa Technik in partnership with Airbus - the largest and most comfortable of any aircraft in its class - which combines widespread appeal, practicality and affordability. They willl be powered by CFM International CFM56-5 engines.

Launched towards the end of 2005, Airbus A318 Elite deliveries began in May 2007, and the type is now a firmly established as a successful member of the Airbus ACJ Family, representing about a quarter of the more than 100 firm orders won to date.

Airbus’ A318 Elite has a range of 4,200 nm/7,800 km with eight passengers - enough to fly non-stop from London to New York - as well as from anywhere in Europe to anywhere in the Middle East, or transcontinentally throughout Africa, America or Asia.

Airbus’ A318 Elite features the same wide, tall and spacious cabin as the rest of the family, in a slightly shorter cabin length, but still has the space for a private office/bedroom with ensuite bathroom, as well as a large living area that is bigger than the entire cabin of smaller jets. It is the only corporate jet in its price bracket with such a large cabin, introducing new standards of comfort and space to a broader market.

Airbus’ ACJ Family, comprising the A318 Elite, the Airbus ACJ and the A320 Prestige, are the only all-new corporate jets at the top-end of the market, delivering modern designs with unmatched appeal and value-retention.

It is the only corporate jet family that is flying on every continent - including Antarctica - highlighting its versatility and widespread success with private customers.

Airbus’s ACJ Family is the first in business aviation with fly-by-wire controls. It is also the only corporate jet in its class with extensive weight-saving carbonfibre composites, cost-saving centralised maintenance for all of its systems, and an advanced fuel-saving aerodynamic design that includes wingtip fences as standard.

The Airbus A320 Family, from which the Airbus ACJ Family evolved, has long been the industry benchmark, with more than 6,100 orders and around 275 customers and operators to its credit - and the figure is growing all the time.