Emirates commences luxury private jet service

by Devesh Agarwal

Dubai-based Emirates, has announced the launch of its luxury private jet service using a ultra-spacious Airbus 319 aircraft.

Providing a bespoke private charter service to most locations worldwide and beyond the existing Emirates network, the aircraft offers a new configuration with a high level of comfort and service for up to 19 passengers.

The configuration of the A319 Emirates Executive aircraft is based on two main zones.

The first area is a wide dining and executive lounge at the front of the aircraft designed to seat up to 12 passengers, combining a work area and a rest zone with two large sofas surrounding four mechanically-activated tables and two 42” HD LCD screens.

The second distinct area comprises 10 Private Suites each featuring a fully lie flat seat and a 32” HD LCD screen.

The suites are complemented by a large and elegant Shower Spa, equipped with a full-height shower, featured innovations like a floor heating system, decorative mirrors and marble accents, as well as luxury, all-natural skincare products.

Customers can also enjoy a variety of multi-course culinary options from Emirates’ award-winning menus, and the finest selection of hot and cold beverages, as well as customised options to suit any palette or dietary requirement.

The aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art technology including Emirates’ award winning in-flight entertainment (IFE) with up to 1,500 channels of on-demand entertainment, as well as a live TV, video conferencing facilities and high-speed internet and mobile phone connectivity.

The personalised service for customers includes booking an aircraft at short notice and a premium chauffeur drive service. The A319 aircraft is supported by a dedicated team of highly trained and experienced inflight crew and ground staff.

For enquiries visit the Emirates Executive website.

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Guest Post: The top ten business aviation stories of 2011 -

By Benét Wilson

Until October, I was the Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation for Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine. As editor, I had a front-row seat to the wild and wonderful world of business aviation in 2011. Below are my picks for the top 10 stories of the year, in no particular order. Enjoy!!

1. The fall – and rise – of the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. In February, the National Business Aviation Association warned that there might be a challenge to the program, which allowed business aircraft operators with privacy or security concerns for their operations to request that Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI) data provided to FAA be blocked from public dissemination. By August, the Department of Transportation had limited participation in BARR to operators with a verifiable security threat. Lawsuits ensued, but the business aviation community was able to get legislation under the multi-agency minibus appropriations bill signed by President Obama in late November that reinstated the program.



Business aviation aircraft on display at EBACE 2010.  Photo by Benét J. Wilson

2. Gulfstream G650 test aircraft crashes; aircraft is certified. A Gulfstream G650 ultra-long-range business jet crashed in April 2 in Roswell, N.M., during flight testing, killing four. The manufacturer temporarily suspended flight testing on the rest of the fleet, but FAA gave the jet provisional type certification in late November. The jet is on schedule to enter service in the second quarter of 2012.
3. Honeywell forecasts modest rise in business jet deliveries in 2012. The good news at Honeywell’s annual business aviation forecast event at October’s National Business Aviation Association annual convention was that business jet deliveries would start to rise in 2012 after going into freefall the past three years. The bad news was that deliveries won’t be at the peak levels achieved in early 2008 until after 2017.
4. Piper Aircraft suspends its Altaire business jet. All during 2011, Piper touted the progress being made on its single-engine jet and continued to hire workers to support the project. But the industry started hearing rumors in early fall that all was not well with the program, and Piper confirmed it on Oct. 24, blaming a slower-than-expected recovery for the light jet segment of business aviation. The company also laid off 200 workers connected to the suspended program.
5. Eclipse Aerospace restarts production. The Albuquerque, N.M.-based manufacturer used this year’s National Business Aviation Association annual convention to announce that it will begin building the EA 550, an improved version of the EA500, starting in 2013. When the manufacture filed for bankruptcy in November 2008, no one had much faith in their effort to stay viable. But the partners of Eclipse bought the company’s remaining assets in August 2009.
6. The Lightsquared GPS battle. On the one side, you have Lightsquared, a company that wants to build a high-speed wireless network made up of thousands of broadband-wireless transmitters that business aviation organizations, among others, say will disrupt GPS satellite signals. Lightsquared disagreed, but an independent test commissioned by the company finds that its transmitters would interfere with most GPS receivers.
7. Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton forced into retirement. The very popular Pelton was forced into retirement in May after he was unable to stem the manufacturer’s financial bleeding, brought on by the global recession and an unrelenting bashing of business jets in the past three years. Press reports also pointed out that it was difficult for Pelton to adjust to Cessna parent Textron CEO Scott Donnelly’s relentless focus on the bottom line.
8. Cirrus Designs sold to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company (CAIGA). The Duluth, Minn.-based manufacturer announced it was being acquired by CAIGA in February. There was some movement to keep the company in American hands, but the sale to CAIGA was finalized in July.
9. Tornadoes at Sun n Fun. It wasn’t so much fun in Lakeland, Fla., on March 31, 2011, when a tornado swept through Lakelinder Regional Airport, causing damage to around 60 aircraft and postponing the show by one day.
10. Experimental Aircraft Association Chairman Tom Poberezny announces his retirement. The big news at July’s EAA AirVenture air show was the retirement of Poberezny at a hastily called press conference. The organization was started by his father in 1958. CEO Rod Hightower took on the chairman title.

Benét Wilson is a freelance aviation journalist and blogger based in Baltimore, Md. She blogs at AviationQueen.com; follow her on Twitter at @AvQueenBenet.

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Images: Kingfisher Airbus A321 cabin and Gulfstream G550 cabin and cockpit

Some pictures of aircraft cabins and cockpits taken during my visit to the India Aviation show in Hyderabad.

I travelled to Hyderabad on Kingfisher's all economy and ultra-long Airbus A321 VT-KFW. Took this picture during the descent in to Rajiv Gandhi International airport at Shamshabad. Awash in a sea of red, the cabin crew was very particular that I do not photograph them, and I echo their request for privacy.

At the show, I was invited by some very kind folks at Gulfstream Aerospace to step aboard their G550, probably one of the finest business jets in world. The cabin with every possible luxury is a great motivation to the earn the millions required to purchase and then operate this plane. The interior planning guide for the G550 can be downloaded here. This picture is from the galley looking forward to the cockpit.

The G550 is powered by enhanced Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines, and has a range of 6,750 nm (12,501 km) at Mach 0.80 which is the longest in its class. The G550 features an Enhanced Vision System (EVS), which uses an infrared (FLIR) camera (mounted under the nose above the nose-gear) to display images to the flight crew on a head up display even in severely degraded weather conditions.

The G550 also features the "PlaneView" cockpit, considered one of the finest in the world, which consists of 4 Honeywell DU-1310 EFIS screens, and a Gulfstream-designed cursor control system ..... it's a pilot's dream.

A most special thanks to all the team at Gulfstream for letting me inside the G550.

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