Airbus ACJ319 Modular Interior - Business Insider Take that Jeff Kennedy!!! $7MM difference between fully custom interior and a 'factory custom interior', on an $80MM airplane .big deal! But at least you can be 'different' while still being just the same! Much safer that way .. Reminds me of when the client can't make the choice, so asks his secretary "which one do you think is best?" Image Unavailable, Please Login
Modular = standardized. This is a long running argument within the VIP outfitting industry. Some of the discussion comes with a lot of marketing hype talking about what is already reality behind the scenes and other portions are trying to tell clients that they still get everything they want when they really won't. The real way to save money and time is to manufacture duplicate package simultaneously. Engineering and certification will go from 20%+ of an outfitting bill down to $150,000 for aircraft #2 if not changes. Fabricate a second or 3rd shipset of cabinetry while making #1 with change of wood veneer selection only then expect 15% savings. There will be incremental savings for the bought components. This is real savings but who, other than the NetJets type fractionals, is going to buy multiple identical aircraft? Modular deals like this one touted for the ACJ is mostly a PR stunt. It is cheap to have a designer sit in their area and do space planning floorplans and elevations. Want to get real then do all the detail engineering for each module an then each possible combination of modules. Tell the senior management of the outfitting facility that most of their engineering group (mechanical, systems, electrical and certification) will be working a fictional project for the next year. Going through this process also means locking in vendor component selections while the market will be evolving. Done correctly this will also entail working certification issues for both EASA and FAA variations. More than anything else this tactic is about getting a prospective client to give the facility an audience. By the time the meeting is over the project will not be within the standardization program beyond a couple of elements are "normal" to any outfitting by anyone. The motivation for this class of aircraft is to be able to tailor the space to one's own desires. The amount of space also allows for far more aesthetic treatment selections which in turn means a lot more variations of detail engineering resolutions.
