Airbus Corporate Jet Centre begins its aircraft outfitting activity

The Airbus Corporate Jet Centre in Toulouse, France has received its first two aircraft for cabin outfitting, and is to invest more than €5 million in facility improvement to provide a world-class cabin-outfitting service for corporate jet customers.

Airbus' Corporate Jet Centre is based in the former EADS Sogerma facilities at Toulouse, and regroups most of the company's experienced cabin-outfitting personnel under a new management team. It is a majority owned subsidiary of Airbus that includes investment by an outside partner.

Improvements to the facility comprise the addition of 1,500 sq. metres of office space, a 250 sq. metre workshop, plus the installation of docks and the outfitting of an existing 6,500 sq. metre hangar. Completion of the upgrade's first phase is planned for the end of this year, with final completion due in the first quarter of 2008. When the work is complete, the centre's newly outfitted hangar will be able to accommodate three Airbus ACJ Family aircraft - two of them in docks.

Airbus' Corporate Jet Centre opened for business this July, and plans to build up to the outfitting of three Airbus ACJ Family aircraft per year. The initial two Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) Family aircraft delivered to the facility will be equipped with VIP cabins for private customers.

Record sales of corporate jets has created a significant demand for cabin outfitting worldwide, which the Airbus Corporate Jet Centre will help to satisfy - as well as giving customers an extra choice. Airbus offers customers a choice of six approved and experienced outfitters for its ACJ Family: Associated Air Center of Dallas, Texas, USA; the Airbus Corporate Jet Centre in Toulouse; Fokker Services of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Gore Design Completions of San Antonio, Texas, USA; Jet Aviation of Basle, Switzerland; and Lufthansa Technik of Hamburg, Germany.