The first Airbus A220 is set to begin its transformation into an executive hotel in the sky after the European planemaker delivered the jet to Swiss refitters Comlux.
Once complete, the renamed “TwoTwenty” will boast a dining table for eight passengers, a master suite with a king-sized bed, shower, fully equipped kitchen, two ultra-large 55-inch screens and non-stop streaming high-speed connectivity.
Comlux will deliver the aircraft to its launch customer Five, a Dubai-based luxury hospitality and investment company, in December.
“With the ACJ TwoTwenty, Five aims at providing its diverse and loyal customer base with a unique journey with Five Flair that blends its signature award-winning gourmet cuisine from homegrown venues such as The Penthouse, Maiden Shanghai, Cinque and Soul Street along with music from Five’s famed and popular in-house DJs and a world-renowned level of guest services amidst a sumptuous, tailor-made setting in the skies,” said Comlux.
“This jet will traverse the entire globe, transporting guests in enviable style with an excess of entertainment options.”
The new aircraft will be based at DWC Dubai World Central airport and Comlux has a contract to install configurable interiors for the first 15 TwoTwentys.
Earlier this week, World of Aviation reported how Airbus looks set to record more aircraft orders during 2021 than rival Boeing after the European planemaker secured a flurry of late deals.
In total, Airbus received 664 jet orders, compared to rival Boeing’s 476, according to new analysis from Bloomberg.
The news won’t be confirmed until later in January when the pair reveal if they’ve received any cancellations.
Nonetheless, Airbus’ significant advantage follows big orders from Qantas and Air France-KLM last month.
The Australian flag carrier said it would initially place an order for 20 A321XLR (extra long-range) and 20 A220s, with the option to purchase a further 94 over 10 years as its Boeing 737-800s and 717s are phased out. The order was in addition to low-cost subsidiary Jetstar’s existing agreement with Airbus for over 100 aircraft in the A320neo family.
jdghj
says:Range is a bit disappointing on this. 5600NM is well down on on all the other big business jets. Hard to understand why anyone would bother with it. The BBJMAX7 offers 7000NM and the ACJ319 6700NM – both with same cabin length but a bit wider. Why wouldn’t you fork out the bit extra for them instead?
Also, the smaller Global 7500 and G700 offer over 7500NM and go faster and higher.
Gordon Thomas
says:I’m sure that the homework was done and the TwoTwenty doesn’t need to have the range, speed or ceiling of others. A compromise certainly but maybe that is all that is needed.