- Airbus is raising the bar for private jets
- They’ve introduced the new A330-300 in business jet spec
- It feels more like a penthouse than the office-like feel of private jet
Published on Aug 16, 2024 at 6:28 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Aug 16, 2024 at 6:28 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Airbus is raising the bar when it comes to private jets – and the sky’s the limit
The new A330-300 in business jet spec is a lot more luxurious than the ‘normal’ private jet.
More importantly, Airbus has realized that it’s probably time to up the ante and turn these jets into a penthouse, not an office.
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Just like its main rival Boeing, Airbus has a customization program, called ACJ (Airbus Corporate Jet), that allows buyers to customize virtually any plane they want – including airliners.
Boeing, for example, has BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) options for the 737 Max, which airlines like Ryanair, United, Delta and American Airlines also use.
There are also BBJ versions of the 747, including the infamous ‘Flying Mansion’, which got scrapped after just 30 flight hours.
But Airbus is doing things differently
Airbus private jets are like designer hotels
Airbus wants its private planes to be a canvas for interior designers to express themselves in the same way they would with a hotel or a penthouse.
The newest plane, the A330-300, is a great example of that.
Were it not for the plane windows and the ‘exit’ sign, you wouldn’t even know it’s a jet because it looks like the lounge of a hotel.
How much does a private jet actually cost?
The least expensive private jets made by Cessna or Embraer can be had for $2 million.
Meanwhile, the most expensive ones easily cost nine figures.
And it’s not just the price tag, either.
Even the ‘cheapest’ private jet has yearly upkeep costs in the seven-figure region.
You need maintenance, ‘parking’ (unless the buyer is rich enough to have their own hangar), fees on top of fees, and then of course crew costs.
The Gulfstream jet that Jeff Bezos, Cristiano Ronaldo and Elon Musk all own, for example, uses $3,662 worth of fuel every hour.
# Tags – Airbus, Airbus A330-300, Aircraft, Airplanes, Planes, Private Jet
