After a completion time of just four months and one week Hamburg based Lufthansa Technik's VIP & Executive Jet Solutions Division has delivered the tenth Airbus A318 Elite since the start of the completion program in 2006. The Swiss business jet operator Comlux The Aviation Group received the aircraft at the beginning of June.
Richard Gaona, President and Chairman of the Comlux Group, said on the occasion of the delivery: "With this new A318 Elite, Fly Comlux confirms its leading position in the operation of wide-body VIP charter aircraft with five aircraft in service and a sixth to come by end of this year. We already operate two A318 Elite and this third one will give us the opportunity to position two wide-body aircraft in Bahrain for our charter operations with Comlux Middle East, as well to offer very attractive conditions for charter and aircraft management. I would like to thank the Lufthansa Technik employees for the excellent cabin and on time delivery. We are proud to have participated in the development of the cabin of the A318 Elite, as a launching customer of the program."
"I would like to thank Comlux for the professional and effective cooperation over the last months", said Walter Heerdt, Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales at Lufthansa Technik. "The experience from our past common completion projects and the innovative A318 Elite concept enabled us to deliver the aircraft clearly on time and on budget. The A318 Elite program is a great success story for both our partner Airbus and for Lufthansa Technik."
Another A318 Elite is currently running through a VIP completion at Lufthansa Technik's US subsidiary BizJet International in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This aircraft will be handed over in midyear 2010. According to the current state of orders a further eight A318 Elites will be completed by Lufthansa Technik by the end of 2013.
The A318 Elite completion program capitalizes on an affordable cabin with widespread appeal, while offering various options and a choice of materials and colors for seats, divans, carpets, furniture, bulkheads or ceilings to allow the creation of a very individual cabin interior. To accelerate completion times, Lufthansa Technik selected new ways to create the interior: all wooden surfaces are made of film coating instead of real wood veneer, offering a huge variety of design possibilities and the highest durability - an immense advantage for charter operators. All designs could be either offered in a high-gloss or satin finish.
Lufthansa Technik is an Authorized Completion Center for Airbus corporate jets and also part of the Airbus approved Service Centre network.
About the Airbus A318 Elite programme
The A318 Elite, a derivate of the smallest airliner of the Airbus A320 family, is the newest member of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) Family. It was launched in November 2005, and since then some 25 aircraft have been ordered by customers worldwide. The A318 Elite is unique in bringing the space and comfort previously only associated with much larger jets, to a much broader market. The A318 Elite features an optimised cabin, designed and produced in co-operation with Lufthansa Technik. The A318 Elite has a range of 4,200 nm/7,800 km, allowing it to fly coast-to-coast within the USA, and to fly non-stop between London and New York.
Comlux The Aviation Group
Comlux The Aviation Group is one of the leaders in VIP charter services operating worldwide with the highest standards of safety and quality.
Beyond charter operations, Comlux offers a comprehensive set of services to VIP customers who wish to have their own aircraft, managed personally and professionally. This includes exclusive aircraft management, sales and acquisitions, cabin design and completion and maintenance and engineering services.
Lufthansa Technik:
The Lufthansa Technik Group, with more than 30 subsidiaries and about 26,000 employees worldwide, is one of the leading manufacturer-independent providers of services for the aviation industry. In 2009, the Group's overall revenues stood at 4 billion euros. Lufthansa Technik is licensed internationally as a repair, production and development enterprise. Its portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of services for maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification and conversion, engines and components.
