Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) has worked with contemporary artist Cyril Kongo, also known as Mr Colorful, on a cabin design for the ACJ TwoTwenty business jet. The ’standard’ ACJ TwoTwenty, based on the Airbus A220-100 platform, has a stylish cabin designed by ACJ’s head of design, Sylvain Mariat, with the interiors completed by Comlux Completion in Indianapolis, USA.
However, for this special edition version, ACJ felt that Kongo’s “pioneering spirit” complemented the ACJ team’s design mindset, and they created a cabin designed to give the feel of an airborne modern art gallery while still maintaining comfort, connectivity and functionality.
Kongo and the ACJ design team took advantage of the ACJ TwoTwenty’s large fuselage with 73m² (785ft²) of floor space, enabling six large VIP living areas accommodating up to 19 passengers. The main lounge area is the centrepiece, with ceiling and cabin divider panels hand-painted by Kongo, paired with branded textures and fabrics. The main colours throughout the jet are pale greys, overlaid with free-form black paint effects.
Kongo lives up to his ‘Mr Colorful’ sobriquet with bold pops of colour provided by the seatbacks and artwork, and the soft furnishings such as cushions and bedspread. Kongo’s use of colour may not be to everyone’s taste, but his boldest expressions can be easily swapped for alternatives to suit a buyer’s preferences. With an intercontinental range of up to 5,650 nautical miles (10,500km), ACJ TwoTwenty passengers could spend more than 12 hours in the cabin – certainly long enough to appreciate the design work.
The ACJ TwoTwenty was launched in late 2020 and has already won orders for six aircraft. Comlux will be the first to take delivery of the ACJ TwoTwenty this winter, with the first aircraft due to enter service in early 2023. Comlux will be the exclusive completion partner for the first 15 Kongo aircraft.
