The Airbus Corporate Jet based on the popular A220 has taken its very first flight. The aircraft, known as the TwoTwenty, took off yesterday from Mirabel for a one-hour and 34-minute spin, marking its first airborne operation. The ACJ TwoTwenty is already sold to hotel group FIVE, and will be operated by Comlux on their behalf.
ACJ TwoTwenty takes off
Less than a month after the ACJ 220 rolled out of the paint shop, Airbus has taken its brand new private jet for a spin. The jet took off from Mirabel in Canada, where it is being tested ahead of delivery, and headed northeast to fly at roughly 20,000 feet over the national parks.
After one hour and 34 minutes, including a few aerial maneuvers, the A220 landed back at Mirabel safely. Undertaking this production test flight was Christophe Marchand and Adam Mason who are both test pilots for Airbus. They were supported by Romuald Scheling as flight test engineer.
Since the aircraft rolled out in its shiny new paintwork in November, it has performed two engine runs and taxi checks. We can expect to see a couple more test flights before the aircraft is accepted by the customer and ready for delivery.
The aircraft is set to be delivered but to Comlux in the coming weeks. Comlux, at its headquarters in Indianapolis, will then get to work installing the VVIP cabin for this first ACJ 220. Comlux is the exclusive outfitter for the first 15 of these corporate jets.
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Heading to Dubai
This first ACJ 220 is the only business jet to feature six wide VIP living areas, each around 12 meters square (130 ft square). This gives Comlux an incredible amount of flexibility in terms of the interior design and layout for the 15 it is due to outfit. In total the aircraft has 37 meters square of floor space (785 ft square).
However, this first ACJ 220 has already had its interior designed and agreed upon with its new owner. The aircraft was sold during the Dubai Air Show to hotel group FIVE, which intends to use it to fly guests between its properties. FIVE is expecting delivery of this aircraft in 2023, replacing the Global jet that the owner currently uses mainly for his own purposes.
Hotel group owner Kabir Mulchandani believes the offering of the ACJ220 will be well in line with the high-end luxury of his hotel business. He intends to create a high-class party atmosphere for his guests onboard. This will include onboard DJs, star chefs, a dining table for eight, and a master suite with a king-size bed and shower. Also onboard will be two ultra-large 55-inch entertainment screens.
Mulchandani expects to sell the seats onboard the ACJ 220 for some $10,000, something he describes as an ‘affordable’ price point. He hasn’t written off the idea of adding more ACJ TwoTwentys in the future, and has freely admitted being as much of an avgeek as he is a hotelier.
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