Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

Airbus has opened the ACJ TwoTwenty creative studio at its headquarters location in Toulouse, France. Adjacent to the fuselage mockups for every Airbus model in Toulouse, the creative studio is designed to help buyers finalize the interior configuration and materials and equipment choices for their new ACJ TwoTwenty.

 


The development of the creative studio stemmed from discussions among ACJ team members and customers as well as Comlux Group, which is the exclusive completion center for the first 15 ACJ Two Twentys. Because there are not yet any fully completed ACJ TwoTwenty demonstrators available, according to Chadi Saade, Airbus Corporate Jets vice president commercial, the company (Booth Z43, Static AD_5) needed a way to help customers visualize the airplane’s expansive cabin and decide on how they want it outfitted.

 


“This is extremely important,” he said. While the creative studio will always complement seeing the actual aircraft, he added, “This is a great first step while waiting for the [demonstrator] aircraft. This will be an efficient tool to finalize the design and selection of options.”

 


Airbus has taken a different approach with the interior design of the ACJ TwoTwenty. Where buyers of other ACJ models can customize their aircraft starting from a completely bare interior, TwoTwenty buyers begin by choosing a configuration for each of the six zones and then selecting from hundreds of fabric, carpet, wood veneer, and plated metal finishing options.

 


The online configurator allows buyers to click on various furniture layouts for each zone. During their visit to the creative studio, buyers can see what their layout looks like in a full-size projection of the cabin on the floor of the studio. After donning a virtual reality (VR) headset, the customer can not only walk through and view the layout in 3D but also see and compare the materials choices, integrated into the VR view, as well as lighting effects. To help get started, customers can select one of three optional cabin designs or a special Cyril Kongo edition.

 


With 786 sq ft of floor space, the ACJ TwoTwenty offers “double the space and volume of any competitor aircraft," according to Airbus, while the jet’s external footprint is just slightly larger than its ultra-long-range, large-cabin, purpose-built business jet competitors.

 


“It’s two to three times the size of other aircraft for the same acquisition price,” said Saade. “On top of that, it comes with 30 percent lower operating costs. The experience you can have onboard is unique, the space is unique. I really believe it’s going to be a game-changer.”

 


Another feature in the creative studio is a mockup of a cabin section fitted with retractable size-comparison elements that illustrate the difference between the ACJ TwoTwenty and competitors’ cabins. With the elements retracted, the customer can see how some movable demonstration chairs fit into the cabin, then compare that same seat layout and see how it fits in the smaller business jet cabin.

 


“We are extremely proud to open this unique creative studio for our customers,” said Airbus Corporate Jets president Benoit Defforge. “It is important to make them feel the space and ultimate comfort it is bringing, thanks to the latest technologies we offer our customers, a real-time and immersive design experience.”

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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