Airbus pits TwoTwenty against business jets like Global 7500

Five months after launching its ACJ Two Twenty executive jet, Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) is talking up the performance of its modified A220-100, pitching the type as competitive in two segments of the business aircraft market.

Thanks to range and cabin size, the Two Twenty appeals to buyers of both “bizliners” – passenger aircraft modified into executive transports – and traditional large-cabin business jets like Bombardier Global 7500s and Gulfstream G700s, say Airbus executives.

“With this product, we are entering a market that is much, much bigger,” says Airbus ACJ vice-president of commercial Stan Shparberg . “We are offering a different flying experience.”

 He notes that while the market for executive-modified passenger jets is somewhat limited, with only about 400 of those aircraft in service, the large-cabin segment is much bigger, with some 2,200 jets flying.

Airbus is playing up the size of the Two Twenty’s cabin, which, at 73sq m (786sq ft), is up to three times larger than cabins of traditional long-range business jets, executives say.

The Two Twenty costs one-third less to operate than such types, they add.

“We see that the market is asking for more and more space. Even the traditional business jets are trying to increase [their] size,” says ACJ president Benoit Defforge.

Aircraft competing with the Two Twenty surely include Embraer Lineage 1000Es, based on E190 passenger jets, and Boeing Business Jets, based on the 737 Max.

But Airbus executives seem to be particularly targeting large-cabin business jets, saying the Two Twenty stacks up well against Globals and G700s.

“We are definitely taking some sales from the replacement of those jets,” Shparberg says of the large-cabin segment.

In response Bombardier notes that its Global 7500 has “an unmatched combination of range, size, speed and cabin comfort, and is purpose-built for the top-end of business aviation”.

The Montreal airframer lists the Global 7500 as having 7,700nm (14,260km) range.

Gulfstream could not be reached for comment. That company aims for its 7,500nm-range G700 to enter service in 2022. Both the Global 7500 and G700 can carry up to 19 passengers and have Mach 0.92 top speed.

Airbus lists the Two Twenty’s range as 5,650nm with 18 passengers. Being a modified airliner, the Two Twenty cannot fly as fast as purpose-built business jets.

But the Two Twenty has sufficient range for nearly all missions, say executives, noting that only about 2% of business jet flights exceed the Two Twenty’s ability. They say the Two Twenty’s slightly slower speed adds relatively little time to flights.