Altitudes Europe #48

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The cost is no object comparison of business liners

By Ivan Veretennikov

Choosing a business jet is never easy, even when you know what segment and price range to look at. Imagine picking one out of many when each is fit to become a flying palace, the variety of cabin sizes and cross-sections is overwhelming, the selection of fabrics, leathers, and veneers comes in entire walls of samples, and the costs have no boundaries whatsoever. Welcome to the world of business liners – the ultimate flying property.

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The term 'Business Liner' is only useful when you distinguish these big boys from traditional business jets

A business liner (be one taken from airline service and refurbished, a standard factory model meant to compete with traditional business jets, or an awe-inspiring custom-built giant) can be considered the pinnacle of luxury living, an extremely useful business tool, or both.

Depending on its interior and performance, it can either serve as a transport for governments, official delegations, and top corporations, or provide a means of safe, comfortable, and highly confidential travel for wealthy individuals and families.

There are so many to choose from, however, that the generic term “business liner” is only useful when we distinguish them from “traditional business jets”.

The sizes and shapes, brands, prices, and performances vary greatly, and it

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would be impossible to give a very detailed account of what options are out there: Each deserves a separate article.

We will therefore break them down into categories, and consider the key features of each. One thing is for certain though: Even when analysis shows that you can do your business with a much smaller plane, it’s still very hard not to want at least one from the list below.

Flying in a business liner is different experience altogether.

THE JUMBOS Let’s start with the “most wanted” – the biggest and most powerful aircraft with an extremely long flight range and enough floor space to turn them into real flying palaces, office blocks, or government institutions, as the case may be. These are the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8. The Airbus is a cleansheet design in service since 2008. So much has been written about this magnificient aircraft that we will mention just the basics: It has a two-storey fuselage with a total of about 550 sq. m. of floor area, weighs 560 tons and is powered by 4 Rolls-Royce Trent 970 engines of 311 KN thrust each (compare

that to the 71.6 KN of a G650 engine!).

It is fully fly-by-wire, and pilots seamlessly transition from any modern Airbus aircraft into another thanks to identical cockpits and controls.

The 747-8 is a thoroughly revised version of the classic Jumbo Jet, which entered service in 2012. Its fuselage is stretched by 5.6 metres compared to the 747-400 to a total of 76.4 m, making it the longest aircraft in production worldwide. It features partial fly-bywire, a redesigned wing with Dreamliner-styled wingtips to help to improve fuel consumption, and four GEnx-2B engines with 296 KN thrust each. The floor space is 445 sq. m., noticeably less than on an A380, but still 14 times that of a Global Express. Its max takeoff weight is 448 tonnes.

Both aircraft have a tremendous flight range (over 17000 km), capable of reaching virtually anywhere from anywhere nonstop. Cabin measurements sound surreal if you are accustomed to business jet standards. Main decks are 63.2 x 6.1 x 2.4 m for the Boeing and 44.9 x 6.54 x 2.33 m for the Airbus. Note that the Airbus has two similar-sized decks running the entire length of the fuse-

lage, while the Boeing only has its trademark “hump” – hence the difference in floor area.

That is certainly a lot to outfit, but the space comes with its drawbacks, most importantly, lower flexibility, long waiting times, and huge costs. With either aircraft the owner is tied to the largest international airports, somewhat defeating the point of business aviation that should be able to take you closer to the final destination. Governments, individuals, and corporations tend to keep smaller aircraft to augment a jumbo.

Another consideration is time: from the moment a green aircraft is released by the manufacturer it takes 2-3 years until customer delivery after completion – and you have to wait for the green airplane too.

The first VIP Airbus A380 was announced in 2007, ordered by Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal during Dubai Air Show, but is yet to become reality. The Boeing 747, on the other hand, is a proven and popular platform for government and VIP conversions, the most famous being Air Force One, the flying office of the US President. One new 747-8 has already been delivered to a completions

A green 747-8 costs $300m and an A380 $345m.

Estimates of an extra $100-$150m for fit outs though that's limited only by the imagination

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centre, destined for Qatar, but the customer is undisclosed. Orders for a few more have been announced. Boeing claims the 747-8 to be much more economical than the A380, but the fact that it has been around for so long (as a VIP plane too), is much more significant.

Completion centres seem to be reluctant to perform a one-off conversion of a huge airliner like the A380: the tooling alone would cost a fortune, and unless there are follow-up orders, it would be rendered useless after the job is done.

Airbus representatives believe that once the first one is complete and others see it, new orders will start coming.

Whatever the case, one thing is for certain: a VIP jumbo is the most expensive flying property out there. A green 7478 costs around $300 m, and the A380 about $345 m, while the price of outfitting is limited by imagination only. Estimates say $100-150 million extra, or enough to buy 2-3 Embraer Lineages.

THE CONVERTS The entry ticket to the world of business liners does not have to cost as much as a small country, however. Aircraft taken out of airline service and converted to similar standards as factory-made business liners, and by the same completion centres, retain their popularity among certain categories of buyers. Due to a lower price even with complete refurbishing (a Boeing 727 can be bought for under $1 m, although this is definitely not a modern plane, and it will have very high total time), those who don’t mind that their aircraft had been flying for a while and opt for a big cabin above all else, study offers on the market for Airbus A310, BAe-146, Boeing 737, 757, Fokker 100, MD83, Avro and the like.

Generally such aircraft are acquired by business jet operators for charter in a VIP + entourage configuration, or by sports teams, music bands (notably, the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden toured the world in a branded Boeing 757 with a special baggage hold, piloted by their own lead singer Bruce Dickinson). There are private owners too, the most public being John

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Travolta with his Boeing 707 and Donald Trump with a Boeing 757. With the advent of Airbus Corporate Jets and Boeing Business Jets as separate departments delivering brand-new aircraft to private customers, the introduction of the Embraer Lineage, and the abundance of offers for preowned VIP liners or better-performing but smaller ultra-long-range business jets, converting a venerable airliner or buying a converted one only makes sense when cabin size is the only consideration, while range, operating costs, and flexibility are not as important.

Mainly this means buyers for whom flying aircraft is a business in itself, i.e. operators. Private owners should consider this option very carefully.

THE FUTURE Before we describe the “dedicated bizliners”, it’s worth saying a few words about two new platforms: the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, which have both received significant attention from customers due to their immense flight range (over 18000 km) and extremely spacious cabins, bettered only by the jumbo jets: 52.43 x 5.61 x 2.43 m for the Airbus and 48.4 x 5.4 x 2.3 m for the Boeing. What makes them special isn’t

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the sheer space, although there’s 275 sq. m. of it in the A350 and 256.6 in the bigger and longer-range 787-9, but the technology.

The Airbus A350 XWB (standing for Extra Wide Body) is scheduled to enter airline service in 2014. It is a clean-sheet design, taking advantage of new materials, advances in aerodynamics, and next-generation engines. Its compositerich fuselage and all-composite wing will allow weight savings and ease of maintenance, while the two efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines with 334 KN of thrust each help to hit the target of 25% lower operating costs compared to existing aircraft of this size.

The Boeing 787 has received much attention from the press over the years as the “first composite airliner” and is already in service. Its combination of lightweight structure, two advanced GEnx engines at 287 KN each, and full fly-by-wire controls, as well as a completely reinvented cabin with much bigger windows for plenty of natural light, will make it a benchmark for future airliners and a desirable business liner.

Prices vary greatly depending on modification and subsequent interior, but $200 million can be used as a starting

point for a green aircraft. If you are looking for a truly personal business liner, however – spacious, brand-new, fitted with a designer interior and costing considerably less – Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer have special models for that.

ACJ Airbus Corporate Jets are praised for their very spacious cabin, 3.7 m wide and 2.25 m tall. Operators and owners have been heard to comment that “standard” interiors are of the best quality and have a great design. Up front, there is one of the most advanced cockpits in aviation, with fly-by-wire, sidestick controls, LCD screens, and a wide range of navigation and awareness aids.

This translates into smoother flights (fly-by-wire helps reduce the effects of turbulence) and greater safety.

Any ACJ, starting from the smallest ACJ318, has enough room to accommodate its 19 passengers in great comfort.

The VIP area can feature a shower, a proper king-size bed, and its own cinema, while the rest of the aircraft may be turned into a lounge with a separate dining room or a flying office. The only general drawback of the series as voiced by several operators we spoke to was the flight range: the ACJ318 is limi-

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ted to 7800 km, and while the bigger models, notably the ACJ319, can do a lot more, this requires fuel tanks in place of baggage holds, making it hard to fit in a lot of belongings. For customers in Europe and especially the Middle East, however, this is not a big issue. A flight to the USA, Latin America, or Australia would require a fuel stop on anything but a ULR business jet, while destinations within these regions can be reached nonstop.

Airbus recently announced the Enhanced option, including new winglets branded as Sharklets that help improve range and payload. This is a step toward

Airbus

Boeing

the next generation neo platform that is set to enter service in 2016 with new engines boosting fuel economy by 15%, reducing cabin noise, and adding about 1000 km to the flight range. Prices currently range from $60 m for the ACJ318 to $90 m for the ACJ320.

BBJ Boeing Business Jets are the classic business liners, launched in 1996 when Boeing recognized the opportunity for VIP aircraft based on the immensely popular 737 platform (there had been plenty of one-off conversions by that time). There are three variants: the BBJ,

BBJ2, and BBJ3, each subsequent one having a longer cabin than the previous, but the BBJ having most flight range at about 11500 km with 8 passengers.

They are priced between $70 and $91 million.

Operators like this aircraft for its extreme durability and reliability, ease of maintenance, abundance of experienced pilots, service centres, and spare parts. Owners praise its flexibility, large 24.13 x 3.53 x 2.16 m cabin, and flight range that is best in class even with full payload and available fuel. Opponents say that this comes at a price of a venerable platform, which hasn’t changed

Model

Advantages

Price

Range (km)

Cabin Area (m2)

MTOW* (kg)

Cruise Speed (km/h)

Takeoff Distance (m)

A380

Huge double-deck cabin, global range

$350 000 000**

17 300

551

560 000

1 090

2 880

A350X WB

Advanced technology, global range, extra wide cabin

$250 000 000**

18 600

275

268 000

1 090

2 730

ACJ318

Big, wide cabin in a relativel small aircraft

$60 000 000

7 800

75

68 000

876

1 790

ACJ319

Optimal cabin/range/price ratio for this size

$80 000 000

11 100

83

76 500

898

1 880

ACJ320

All the ACJ benefits in a stretched cabin

$90 000 000

7 800

96

77 000

898

2 025

747-8

Huge cabin, part double-deck, global range

$300 000 000**

17 400

445

448 000

911

3 260

787-9

Advanced technology, global range, already in operation

$250 000 000**

18 500

223

250 836

902

2 600

BBJ

The classic business liner: optimal range, cabin, flexibility

$70 000 000

11 362

75

77 565

885

1 855

BBJ2

Stretched BBJ with stretched cabin and more baggage

$83 000 000

10 334

93

79 016

885

2 135

BBJ3

Bigger cabin than BBJ2

$91 000 000

10 178

104

85 140

885

2 609

True business liner cabin for the price of a long-range jet

$53 000 000

8 149

70

54 500

885

1 870

Embraer Lineage

*MTOW is maximum takeoff weight - **Green aircraft

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much since the 1960s, traditional controls with less automation and more for the pilots to do, as well as in-house interior designs and finishes that aren’t quite as sophisticated as those of the competition.

Nevertheless, these aircraft are selling at the same pace as Airbus corporate jets, about 10 delivered per year from each stable, highlighting both the limited size of this market and the fact that public opinion is more or less equally divided.

The new BBJ MAX 8 and 9 may help attract new customers. The aircraft, announced this year at NBAA, are based on the 737 MAX with new CFM International LEAP-1B engines and the Boeing Advanced Technology winglet, will offer better range compared to BBJ2 and BBJ3. Boeing is also considering a BBJ MAX 7, based on the original BBJ cabin, but with 7000 nm range – almost 13000 km – and able to compete directly with ultra-long-range business jets.

EMBRAER A newcomer from the Brazilian side is set to disrupt the equilibrium and also steal some customers from the top end of traditional business jets. Priced at around $53 million, or about the same as a long range bizjet, it offers more than double their cabin size, while being significantly cheaper than business liners – both to acquire and operate. It is based on the Embraer ERJ platform, which has become very widespread with airlines around the world, ensuring field support, pilots, and spare parts are not a problem. It is a modern aircraft with full fly-by-wire controls, two GE CF34 engines with 82.3 KN thrust each, and a range of 8200 km.

With a cabin measuring 25.7 x 2.67 x 2 m it offers 70 sq m of floor space, divided into 5 distinct zones, it is a true business liner with a level of comfort far above what you get in traditional business jets. 19 passengers are treated to a dining area, a mini bar in a spacious lounge that also features a 42” plasma screen, as well as a master suite with stand-up shower, queen-size bed, and its own entertainment system. The baggage compartment, accessible in flight, deserves a special mention: it is a whop-

Airbus has the widest interiors, Embraers the most versatile but Boeing's interiors are the quickest to fit out.

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ping 9.2 cu m in volume – enough for a Mini Cooper if there was a way to get it in there. Together with well thought-out and executed completions (Embraer now has a very creative in-house design team) and outstanding flexibility (access to London City airport, operations into and out of high-altitude Aspen, Colorado), the Lineage 1000 has attracted attention especially among buyers in the Middle East. Its flight range is perfect for nonstop Dubai-London or Dubai-Cape Town flights, while the spacious cabin, ample baggage, and relatively low acquisition and operation costs form a winning combination.

DIFFICULT CHOICE Depending on the profile and needs of the buyer – be it an individual, aircraft operator, corporation, or government – the choices are out there, and they all seem quite popular.

The jumbos are the ultimate flying property: Immense size, truly global flight range, fit only for international airports, and worth almost half a billion dollars.

The next generation widebody airliners are also very big, but more flexible and economical, with better cabin noise levels and pressurization, and also cost an awful lot – around $300 million at least.

If that seems too much for an aircraft, there are plenty of airliners waiting to be converted, and they come in diffe-

The Embraer Linage 1000 has attracted Middle East buyers with non-stop DubaiLondon and Dubai-Cape Town ranges

rent shapes and sizes. Chances are, you can find a relatively attractive price/quality ratio, especially if you are in the business of operating business jets, but don’t expect the older planes to have flight ranges, operating costs, or equipment comparable to brandnew business liners offered by three manufacturers.

Of which Airbus Corporate Jets are the most spacious, have advanced fly-bywire controls, but don’t offer so much in terms of flight range, unless you are travelling light. Boeing Business Jets are the classic business liners – proven, extremely reliable, loved by their owners and pilots, but possibly lacking the elegance, smoothness, and sophistication of their French counterparts.

Embraer Lineage is in a class of its own.

Big enough to be considered a true business liner and offering a corresponding level of comfort, it competes with long-range business jets such as the G550 or Global 6000 in price. Its clever “Home Away From Home” interior philosophy is finding more and more supporters among the top-end clientele.

And whatever the considerations, there is always an emotion that influences the decision. It can only be evoked through direct contact with the aircraft in question, and chances are, enough of them will be at MEBA in Dubai to add real ■ feelings to rational thinking.

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