The first ACJ319neo, which will be delivered to K5 Aviation, has taken the record for the longest A320 family flight by an Airbus crew. The aircraft made a round trip from Toulouse, France, to northern Greenland, in 16 hours and 10 minutes, on April 26, 2019.
The endurance test flight included a simulated diversion under 180-minute ETOPS3 rules, for which the A320 airliner family is already certificated.
“We want to fly customers to their destination using the quickest routes, as well as delivering unsurpassed comfort and service, and it’s impressive to see such long-range capability at first hand,” said K5 Aviation CEO and chief pilot Erik Scheidt, who participated in the flight.
The ACJ319neo is derived from the A320neo airliner family, which features new engines and wingtip-mounted Sharklets. “Airbus’ modern aircraft family takes the world in its stride with robust reliability, and corporate jet operators are natural beneficiaries of this airliner heritage, which also brings comparable operating costs to traditional business jets,” said Benoit Defforge, president at ACJ.
K5 Aviation’s ACJ319neo is fitted with five additional center tanks (ACTs) in its cargo hold, and includes improvements including a lower cabin altitude for greater passenger comfort.
Corporate jet orders and commitments for A320neo family-derived aircraft now total 14.
