Aircraft

^{Andrew Doyle / Berlin}

Airbus is considering formally adding the A330-200 widebody twin to its line of executive aircraft as it prepares to target the potential replacement of up to 40 ageing VIP-configured A310s over the next six or seven years.

“We are thinking to do that – we need to decide,” says Airbus vice-president executive and private aviation, Richard Gaona. “If we get one or two more orders, we might give it a name. With the A330 we have a fantastic window of opportunity in front of us until at least 2012.”

Airbus’s corporate family currently comprises the A318 Elite, A319 Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) and A320 Prestige, with about 70 sales to date.

During ILA, Airbus sold an Elite to existing ACJ customer JetAlliance of Austria. Alexander Vagacs, chief executive of the Vienna-based charter and management company, says JetAlliance plans to fly into London City Airport with its A318, which demonstrated its steep-approach capability at the airport this month.

JetAlliance’s CFM International CFM56-powered Elite will be delivered “green” in June 2007 and is expected to be outfitted by Lufthansa Technik.