Airbus' Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC) in Toulouse has just completed its first cabin outfitting, a VIP interior for the Airbus A320 of a private customer in the Middle East.

The VIP A320, which has just been delivered to the customer, features a luxurious interior with a VIP lounge, business-class seating and an area for support staff - all finished to very high standards.

In addition to outfitting the cabin, ACJC also successfully completed extensive maintenance work on the aircraft, highlighting its ability to provide a variety of technical services to customers.

ACJC capitalises on the experienced engineers and capable craftsmen that previously worked for EADS Sogerma in Toulouse to successfully complete several corporate jets. It brings much needed cabin-outfitting capacity to the corporate jet market, which is experiencing record demand for aircraft and their cabins.

"We set out to build on our employees' reputation for delivering elegant cabins of quality and distinction, backed by sound engineering design and support, and our first customer is very pleased with the result," says ACJC CEO Benoit Defforge, who leads a new management team with reinforced project management. "Our goal is now to grow and make a long-term success of the business and, with several customers already lined up, we are now well on our way," he adds.

ACJC is a majority owned subsidiary of Airbus and, as such, it is backed by the full resources of the world's largest manufacturer of modern airliners. It will initially build up to outfitting several single-aisle Airbus aircraft cabins a year.

Housed within the 9,500 m2/102,250 ft2 hangar and facilities of its predecessor, next to the A330/A340 assembly line, ACJC is already being modernised and expanded as part of an investment of over 8 million Euros. Upgraded facilities include two aircraft nose-docks, which provide practical same-level access to nearby offices and storage space. More office space and a new workshop are also being added.

Airbus has now sold more than 150 corporate jets in sizes that range all the way from its smallest aircraft, the A318 Elite, up to its largest, the A380 Prestige. They offer more comfort and space than traditional business jets - as well as other airliner-derived competitors - making them the natural choice when it is time to trade-up to a new model.

Airbus Corporate Jet customers benefit from a worldwide network of approved cabin-oufitters, which comprises the ACJC of Toulouse, Associated Air Center of Dallas, Texas, Fokker Services of Amsterdam, Gore Design Completions of San Antonio, Texas, Jet Aviation of Basle, Switzerland and Lufthansa Technik of Hamburg, Germany.