Jet Aviation (Booth N4632) lands at NBAA 2017 following a year of intense completion and refurbishment activity, starting with redeliveries of a head-of-state ACJ330 last October and an ACJ319 this February to the same undisclosed Middle Eastern customer. In-house Jet Aviation Design Studio designed both interiors. The ACJ330 features a master suite with office, guest suite, VIP seating areas, guest seating in the aft section, and an additional 10 VIP "mini-suites," designed and developed by Jet Aviation. Sliding doors provide complete privacy for each passenger, while three different seat settings (from upright to fully horizontal) ensure comfort throughout the flight.   

Influenced by traditional Arabic motifs and color palettes, the ACJ330 design nonetheless has a decidedly contemporary style, incorporating materials such as silk wall coverings, gold plating, smoked oak, Macassar and Zebrano woods and mother-of-pearl inlays. Custom details include starlight ceilings designed to reflect the position of the constellations as seen above Riyadh during the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Weight-management processes kept both aircraft significantly lighter than the customer required, despite the extensive high-end finishes and custom interior elements. The ACJ330 can fly nonstop from Riyadh to Los Angeles. The sound prediction models and targeted soundproofing Jet Aviation developed in collaboration with sister company Gulfstream yield in-flight dBSIL readings as low as the mid-40s.

The ACJ319 was designed for more flexible use, with distinct cabin zones to accommodate alternative numbers of passengers, including a majlis area for eight passengers, spacious guest lavatory, mid-bedroom with large en suite bathroom and additional flexible-format seating for guests in the aft section.

Talking about a BBJ the Swiss company redelivered in May, Simon Koenig, supervisor of maintenance interior design in Basel, said, “Our baby came back and we made it nice again.” Jet Aviation refurbished, repainted and returned the BBJ to airworthy status after it had been out of service for several years. It was the same airframe upon which Jet Aviation performed its first BBJ completion in 1999. All seats, sidewalls and carpets were replaced, as was some wood marquetry. Additionally, a low cabin altitude modification was performed, and improved soundproofing installed using Jet Aviation/Gulfstream targeted sound prediction and suppression technology. A C-1 check and general defect rectifications were performed simultaneously on the Boeing. The refurbishers also installed a new Rockwell Collins Venue Cabin Management System (CMS), activated the Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satcom, upgraded with Future Aircraft Navigation System (Fans) and configured ADS-B Out.

The previous interior was highly personalized, with marquetry and hand-painted detailing, and the new owners “said to make it more contemporary, without any structural modifications,” Koenig said. “So we modernized it by changing materials.”

Jet Aviation is also touting a project on a smaller scale: the refurbishment of a Falcon 7X whose owner was “bored with the interior but didn’t want any structural modifications or any cost-intensive cabin changes,” said Koenig. “The good thing is there was no guidance whatsoever. The customer said, ‘Hit me with your best shot.’” The design team presented two interior concepts, a contrasting gray-and-black scheme and one with earth tones and carbon-fiber interior elements. The customer chose the gray-and-black palette. The interior also incorporates a wood-metal composite material on side ledges, the first time Jet Aviation has used this material.

Jet Aviation is currently performing medevac conversions on two Embraer Legacys at its Basel facility: a Legacy 600 for an Asian customer and Legacy 650 for a Middle Eastern client. Both are intended to fly medevac as well as VIP charters. Jet Aviation has developed STCs for modifications allowing operators to switch the two interiors in a matter of hours.

In August Jet Aviation announced the impending transition of its completions and maintenance center at St. Louis Downtown/Cahokia Airport (CPS) into a Gulfstream Aerospace maintenance facility.