DC Aviation Al-Futtaim adds ACJ318-100

 DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCF, Dubai World Central) has added an ACJ318-100, which will commence charter services shortly.

“The addition of the Airbus ACJ318 Elite+ builds upon DC Aviation Group's proud legacy of operating ACJ charter aircraft for more than 25 years,” said Holger Ostheimer, managing director of DC Aviation Al-Futtaim.

The 2010-built aircraft, registered in San Marino as T7-ELSA (msn 4211), was ferried between Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg, CH and Dubai World Central on May 7, with a stop at Tirana. Certified for 19 passengers with seating for up to 21, the jet will be based and maintained at DC Aviation Al-Futtaim's hangar, FBO, and MRO complex at Dubai World Central.

This ACJ318-100 had been parked at Basel since January 2022, where AMAC Aerospace carried out a full interior and exterior refurbishment. Previously registered in the United Arab Emirates as A6-CAS, the jet was managed by currently inactive charter and management firm Constellation Aviation Services.

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim cited shifting client demand patterns as a key driver behind the induction of the corporate airliner. “Over the past 12 to 18 months, a growing preference has been noted for larger-cabin aircraft capable of undertaking non-stop intercontinental journeys. This trend is predominantly driven by family offices, government entities and corporate executives requiring enhanced flexibility, privacy, and time efficiency.”

Beyond the newly added ACJ318-100, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim manages a Challenger 650, a Global 5000, a Falcon 6X, a Falcon 7X, and a PC-12. Only the Challenger 650 and the Pilatus Aircraft turboprop are registered in the United Arab Emirates, while the Falcon 6X is registered in San Marino, the Global 5000 in Bermuda, and the Falcon 7X in the Isle of Man.

Other DC Aviation divisions manage ACJs, including Germany-based DC Aviation, which operates an ACJ319-100 and an ACJ320-200N, as well as DC Aviation Malta, which manages an ACJ319-100. DC Aviation San Marino does not operate any ACJ.

The group's wider fleet further comprises several aircraft manufactured by Bombardier Business Aircraft, Dassault Aviation, Embraer Executive Jets, Gulfstream Aerospace, and Textron Aviation.

FLEET - SAUDI ROYAL FLIGHT / A318-112 ACJ Elite / HZ-AS99

Photo: Jan Jurecka

OE-LUX - A318CJ

Ton Jochems - AMS

Airbus ACJ318 will be highlight of LABACE

Aircraft is part of world’s most modern corporate jet family

Airbus’ ACJ318 will be the highlight of LABACE* in Sao Paulo later this month, showcasing a wider and taller cabin than any other business jet, in what is the largest market for them in Latin America.

The Airbus ACJ318 on display is offered for VVIP charter by Globaljet of Switzerland, and fits into the same ramp space as other large business jets. It carries up to 19 passengers, features a private office that converts to a bedroom, and has club seating in several spacious lounge areas.

“When it comes to business jets, it’s what you offer in the cabin that counts and, with the world’s broadest and most modern aircraft family, Airbus can offer everything from 19 seaters with intercontinental range, to VIP widebodies capable of flying government delegations nonstop to most of the world,” comments Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, John Leahy.

Airbus has sold some 170 corporate jets to date, and its aircraft are the only ones flying on every continent, including Antarctica, highlighting their versatility. Its customers comprise companies, individuals and governments, in roughly equal measure.

All of Airbus’ corporate jet customers are united in their need for rapid and reliable transport, whether in running a multinational business or leading a country, and their ability to serve as business tools is both proven and widespread in many different markets.

In offering corporate jet versions of all of its modern aircraft family, Airbus gives customers the ability to carry more people than traditional business jets, which are limited in size, as well as giving them greater comfort and workspace in which to travel.

Like all Airbus corporate jets, the Airbus ACJ318 features intercontinental range, allowing it to serve most destinations in North and South America nonstop – as well as to reach much of the world with a single stop.

AIRBUS