Aircraft Overview: ACJ TwoTwenty

The ACJ TwoTwenty is a twin-engine business jet produced by Airbus which is based on the company’s A220-100 airliner and described as being in the “extra-large business jet” market category. 

More specifically representing one of the commercial designations of the BD-500-1A10 type, the ACJ TwoTwenty was announced by the airframe manufacturer on Oct. 6, 2020. 

Airbus subsequently announced on Dec. 14, 2021, that this version of the BD-500 had made its first flight, ahead of being delivered to Swiss-based Comlux, which is outfitting the cabins of the first 15 ACJ TwoTwenty’s at its Indianapolis, Indiana, completion center. 

The delivery of the first airframe—registered as 9H-FIVE—to Five Hotels and Resorts took place on April 28, 2023, with that ACJ TwoTwenty based in Dubai and operated by Comlux. 

Although the ACJ TwoTwenty is noted as having “a similar parking footprint” as other ultra-long-range airplanes, it has a cabin volume which is double that of airplanes in that category, while offering three times greater space when compared to “large business jets.” 

ACJ TwoTwenty passengers are accommodated in a cabin that has a length of 78 ft., height of 6.8 ft. and width 10.8 ft., with the cabin floor space area and volume being 786 ft.² and 5,120 ft.³, respectively. 

The cabin itself is divided into six 130 ft.² living areas, with passengers able to access the cabin through the use of airstairs that are integrated. 

Both Airbus and Comlux state that seating for as many as 18 passengers is possible, with the passenger accommodations able to be supplemented by a crew-specific lavatory—up to three lavatories are possible—and a crew-rest area that incorporates seating that is “full lie-flat.” 

While the first ACJ TwoTwenty was outfitted with a VIP cabin, the second airframe—which was delivered on Feb. 20, 2024, and is also operated by Comlux—features a cabin that is configured for “corporate use and includes more seats, couches that fold out into beds instead of a bedroom suite, media areas, leather seating and a large bathroom in the back that includes a shower.” 

The two required pilots operate the ACJ TwoTwenty using Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system that features five liquid-crystal displays (LCD) that measure 15.1 in. and which are “fully interchangeable.” 

The ability to conduct Category III (CAT III) autoland approaches is also a standard feature, and one that gives operators the ability to perform approaches with a decision height of less than 100 ft. and when the runway visibility is below 250 ft. 

Supplementing the ability to conduct approaches in those conditions, the airplane is also “certified for steep-approach operations” with a glideslope as high as 5.5 deg., enabling operations at airports such as London City Airport. 

The ACJ TwoTwenty's maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) can be as high as 140,500 lb., with the airframe also limited to a 112,500-lb. maximum landing weight. Additionally, the maximum fuel capacity is 7,550 gal.

Powering this Airbus Corporate Jet are a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines that can produce as much as 24,000 lbf. of thrust. 

The performance limitations of the BD-500-1A10 include a maximum operating limit Mach (M_MO) of 0.82 Mach, as well as an en route maximum operating altitude of 41,000 ft. 

Airbus further states that the ACJ TwoTwenty is capable of operating 12 hr. flights and to a range of 5,650 nm, the latter of which is based on an airplane carrying eight passengers and “nominal performance.” 

It is also described as being “capable of operating [from] the same airfields as any other competitor,” with a balanced field length of 5,470 ft. at the airplane’s MTOW, a performance figure that Airbus says is enabled by the airframe’s Pratt & Whitney GTF engines.