Comlux becomes A318 Elite launch customer and orders an ACJ

Comlux AG, an exclusive VIP charter operator based in Switzerland, has become the first customer for the A3I8 Elite - a new member of the Airbus ACJ Family - with an order for three aircraft - the first of which will be delivered in early 2007. It has also become a new customer for the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ), with an order for an aircraft that will be delivered in May 2006.

Zurich-based Comlux currently operates two business jets, and will grow its fleet to six aircraft, including the Airbus ACJ, by end-June 2006,.

Comlux's Airbus ACJ will feature seating for 19 passengers, with a private VIP bedroom, an executive lounge, and 12 first-class seats with full-flat recline. Its A318 Elites will feature seating for 16 passengers, divided into three successive rooms – guest area, executive lounge and private room.

The choice of engines to power the aircraft has yet to be decided.

"The comfort and satisfaction of our customers, both in the air and on the ground, drives our day-to-day business, and the Airbus ACJ Family's more spacious cabin, with its wider seats and aisles, plus its more modern technology, strongly influenced our choice," says Comlux President and CEO Ettore Rodaro. "The growth of our fleet is a strategic business move forward, and will help us to respond to customer demand for unscheduled flights of the highest standard, going anywhere at anytime."

Comlux's Airbus ACJ will have its cabin outfitted by Associated Air Center in Dallas, Texas, while its A318 Elites will be completed by Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, under the management of Airbus.

"Comlux's selection of the Airbus ACJ and A318 Elite crowns a very successful year for us, in which we have made important inroads into executive charter, airline, corporate and government markets," says Airbus Vice President Executive and Private Aviation Richard Gaona.

The Airbus ACJ Family has the best cabin in its class, with twice the width of traditional business jets and three times their volume. Based on the A319 - part of the world’s most modern and successful airliner family - the ACJ is unique in having public transport certification, the common Airbus cockpit, fly-by-wire and Category 3B autoland. Yet it costs about the same as competing top-of-the-line business jets, delivering unmatched quality and value.

Airbus is an EADS joint company with BAE Systems.

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